When the Saints Come Marching In
by Hybrid-Demon
Summary: When Near meets L for the first time, he's confused about the feeling the older man sparks. What could it be? And what will become of them in the end? LxNear. Spoilers for Near's real name. RESTARTS ON CHAPTER 17. BEING REWRITTEN. Rated M later maybe?
1. Chapter 1

**OH HI. Are you new here? Good, good for you. I hope you like it. THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW THOUGH, SO HOLD ON. I started writing this in MIDDLE SCHOOL, when I SUCKED AT EVERYTHING. Now, after four years of creative writing classes and some maturity and stuff, I thought to myself, "Hey, I still like this story. It'd be nice if it didn't suck, though." SO I'M REWRITING IT. You can read the crappy crap chapters if you want, or you can go right on ahead and skip over to CHAPTER SEVENTEEN when NICE WRITING HAPPENS. It's your choice, bro.**

The day they first met was a joyous day in the otherwise monotone life. Had Near been raised differently before he came to the orphanage, or perhaps if he had never gone there at all, then maybe he would be able to play with the other kids. But no, his life had been as it had, and he was as he was. Although the boy appeared to be void of emotion, there was one man who had sparked a smile on the pale, blank face.

The man he was destined to become.

Well, _possibly_ become. He was competing with Mello to become the famous detectives successor. But considering the he was better than Mello in everything detective related, he was almost certain that he'd be picked. Although he never dwelled on those thoughts for long because he didn't want to get his hopes up only to be rejected, they were always there in the back of his mind.

The day he and Mello met L they were both 9. Mello was openly excited, looking out the window like an eager puppy. Near sat in the corner of the room and worked on an elaborate building of dice. He was just as eager as Mello. He wanted to be at the window, watching to see the black car. But no, he sat there and stacked the die, the only sign of his blinding excitement was the slight tremor in his hands as he skillfully placed the dice where they needed to be.

"He's here!" Mello shouted, clasping his hands over his mouth in excitement. "He's here! He's really, really here!" he shrieked, jumping in joy. Nears heart jumped and his hand shook even more.

"Damn it!" Mello cursed, "He parked where I can't see him!"

Near wanted to point out that he had done that on purpose, to cause suspense, but he didn't trust his voice to not waver. They waited for what seemed to be hours, when the doorknob began to turn, a sure sign that L was entering the room.

The breath caught in both boy's throats as they watched the door slowly open, creaking under the effort. A young L stood there.

Mello gasped; Near was silent, not looking at L directly for more than a second, his eyes dropping to the floor. Mello was first to react.

"L. . ."

"Hello."

"L. . ." Mello said again breathlessly. "It's you. It's really you."

"Yes." L replied, gently closing the door before sitting on the floor, his knees to his chest. "I suppose I'll ask you guys some questions."

"Ok." Mello said, still in shock.

"First question." L started. "There are good people in this world, and there are bad people. But that in itself is to broad. Because there are good people who do bad things. There is a woman who saves a girl from being raped, but ends up killing the attacker in the process. She was trying to do a good thing. She ended up doing a bad thing. Was it justified? Explain."

Mello stared at the messy haired detective, shocked. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, certainly not, "Hey Mello, since you're next in the alphabet, I'll just choose you!" (Even though that would be great in his opinion.) But this? They're only nine for Gods sake! But none the less, young Mello stepped forward, clearing his throat nervously, tucking a wisp of golden blonde hair behind his ear, and spoke.

"The killing was justified. Sure, the killing in itself was wrong, but the events that led up to it give a suitable reason as to why she killed him. So it was justified." and with that he bowed his head and returned to the side of his rival, proud of the answer he gave.

L nodded his head and Near stepped forward.

"Yes," Near said, twirling his hair, "The killing was justified. But that doesn't mean the woman should go unpunished. She may have saved someone from a horrible fate, but in the end she took another human's life." Near bowed and took a step back, but someone grabbed onto the boys arm.

"Self defense." L said quietly. "She would plead self defense."

"B-but she wasn't the one being attacked. The other girl was." Near stuttered nervously. Something flickered across L's dark eyes, but near had no idea what emotion it was. L let go of Nears arm. "Shall we go out for a treat?"

And that was how they found themselves in a cake shop.

L told them, "Order what you want." And Mello, of course, ordered the most chocolate covered thing they sold. Near, however, had no idea what to get. So he just stood there, his hair falling victim once again to his deft fingers, staring at the fattening cake. L must have noticed the young boy's dilemma.

"What do you want?"

Near shook his head. "I don't know."

"He doesn't eat many sweets." Mello informed. "I think he's afraid of getting fat."

Near didn't bother to point out the fact that although he is not afraid of getting overweight, that he, unlike Mello, who consumed enough chocolate regularly to overwhelm a menstruating girl on Valentines Day, is at a severely reduced risk of gaining any sort of weight, unlike the blonde.

"Hmm," L hummed thoughtfully, "Do you mind if I order for you then?"

Near shook his head, white-platinum curls falling into his eyes.

"A slice of double chocolate and two slices of strawberry, please."

After getting the cake and sitting down at a table near a window, Near held a fork in his right hand and stared at the strawberry flavored mass in front of him. L was devouring his strawberry cake, sitting in that peculiar way of his. He must have noticed that Near hadn't touched his cake.

Near watched through his mess of light colored curls as a fork shaved off a the tip of his slice. He looked up to see L holding a fork with the missing piece on it.

"Do you want it?" L asked.

Near opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything, L stuck the forkful of cake between his pale lips.

Shocked, Near opened his mouth wider and L took this opportunity to deposit the cake on the boy's tongue. He withdrew the fork and smiled as the Near swallowed the cake.

"_It's good . . . " _he thought to himself. Then a thought raced though his mind. He was holding his fork. L was holding his, and Near observed that the fork L was holding had whipped cream residue. From watching L eat before, he knew L would have licked it off. Which means–

"–_L had just_ _me with his fork._"

The young boy blushed deeply at the realization. L smiled as he saw Near blush and hide his face. Mello, however, didn't seem to notice the other two's moment. He instead went on with the rant that had started when L fed Near, and how Near could feed himself.

On the ride home, Near stared out the window and thought about the fork incident. Was it really that big of a deal? Why was his heart still beating frantically?

When they got out of the car, L leaned down and hugged Mello. Mello said goodbye and that it was nice to meet him all in one breathless jumble before running off calling for Matt. Near waited nervously for L to hug him goodbye, his slender arms staying wrapped around the detective's waist for a second too long, the detective hugging him tightly back before climbing into the car and bidding young Near farewell, leaving Near to contemplate this odd feeling in stomach and his furiously beating heart.

After all, he had never had a crush before.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time L visited was Near's 10th birthday. He woke up in the dark of the morning, confused as to what had awoken him. He decided to go back to sleep when someone shifted. He was instantly alert, his eyes widening to take in the little light in the room.

"Who's there–" he started but a hand covered his mouth.

"Shhh," L whispered.

Near gasped, or as much as he could with a hand over his mouth, taking in L's unruly, hunched over form. He removed his hand from the boys mouth.

"Happy birthday, Nate."

Nears eyes widened. "You're not supposed to call me that." He said, shocked. L chuckled.

"Don't you think it's much more endearing? It's so much more intimate to be called by one's birth name on their birthday, don't you think? Besides, nobody heard." He sat down on the bed and put his thumb to his lips. Near didn't know what to day, so he said the first thing that came to mind.

"You didn't visit on Mello's birthday."

"I was busy." L said simply.

"But why come on mine?"

"Because I wasn't busy."

"Oh. . ."

"Do you want you gift?"

"You didn't have to get me anything." Near replied instantly.

"Too late." L said, taking out a wrapped box. He handed the pale blue box to Near, who unwrapped it hesitantly. In the dim light he read the white boxy words. Two words screamed out at him.

"10,000 pieces. . ." He said softly. "A puzzle? A 10,000 piece puzzle?!" He was excited and scared at the same time; 10,000 pieces was a lot.

"I believe you can do it." L said, brushing a few strands of silver hair away from the boys face. Then, as quietly as he had come, he left. Near sat there, holding the puzzle in his hands.

"_He thinks I can do it." _He thought to himself, vowing that it would be done within the week.

That morning, when the sun was barely over the horizon, Near got out of bed and walked into an empty play room, puzzle in hand. He opened the box and dumped the puzzle on the  
ground, flipping over the pieces as he woke up. He had started to piece it together and had a portion of it done, minute compared to what he still had to do. Other children woke up and stood in the doorway.

"Oh Near, another puzzle. . ."

"Look at the box– 10,000 pieces!"

"He's never done one so big before!"

"I doubt he can. 10,000 pieces is a lot! He's amazing but not _that_ amazing."

Despite the comments, Near worked on the puzzle until a caretaker tapped him on the shoulder and told him to go to class.

Later on that day, Mello overheard a few other kids talking.

"I heard the teachers talking. Apparently, L visited Near last night and gave him the puzzle!"

"Really?! That's so cool!"

Mello paused where he was standing. L had come to see Near? He had just sent Mello some expensive foreign chocolate, but he had actually visited Near? And didn't even bother to visit Mello?

Mello was furious. He was absolutely pissed. He fumed as he stalked down the hall in search of the odd white haired boy. He passed by the room Near had been working in earlier. It was empty now, nothing in there but a chair and a partially done puzzle.

He crossed his arms. "What makes Near so special, huh?" Mello asked. Although there was no one in the room, Mello hated the silence that greeted his question. In the blinding rage that consumed him, he kicked at the puzzle, breaking apart the progress Near had made that morning. Pieces scattered, flying in every direction. He smashed the picture of the tranquil waterfall that the puzzle would have become. A caretaker grabbed onto Mello and took him out of the room, scolding him for his behavior.

"L came to see him!" Mello sobbed. "He didn't come to see me!"

"Mello," the woman cooed, "he was busy."

"Too busy to see me, but not to see Near!" Mello yelled, breaking away from the woman and running to his room.

"He's so emotional..." she said quietly, shaking her head. She didn't notice the young boy slip past her until she turned to try and salvage the puzzle.

Near already stood in the doorway, gripping the frame. He'd never been one to waste words, but his subtle expression spoke volumes.

"Near, I–"

"No bother." Near said quietly. "It's ruined." then the boy left as discreetly as he had come.

Despite the fact that Near had said to not bother, that it was ruined, Roger ordered that nobody touch it.

Later that night, Near slipped from his room and doom the hardwood halls. Silently, he padded into the room where the remnants of his puzzle where still scattered about. He dropped  
to his hands and knees and crawled around, picking up pieces of the puzzle and piling them in the middle of the room.

Although it had been Mello that destroyed the puzzle, he couldn't help but fell it was his fault. L believed that he could do it, but now he can never finish it. Salty tears stung his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He cried as a kid with no emotions would; silently. Then only signs of his sorrow were the tears like liquid crystal, reflecting the light. His body trembling ever so slightly and every so often he quietly sniffled.

Roger stood and watched as Near futilely attempted to put the puzzle back together. But both men knew, no matter how long he worked, the puzzle would be incomplete, a piece forever missing.

Next week, a letter from L arrived. It was addressed to Wammy's House from Ryuuzaki. Roger went to open the simple envelope, but noticed that in the bottom left hand corner were the letters "M" and "N". This letter was for Mello and Near. He decided that Near should read it first; Mello was being punished after all.

But Near wasn't in his room.

On Sunday, the only day the kids didn't have class, Near was usually in his room. Roger had no idea where else he would be. He wandered the halls, confused.

When he finally found Near, he was where he left him that night– the empty play room. The white haired boy was lying on his stomach, his head on his arm, his face buried in the crook of his elbow. His pajama clad body looked so fragile and young that Roger felt a hurt in his heart. One he's only felt once before with this kid– the day showed up at Wammy's, scared and hungry.

He walked into the room and woke the boy up.

Near looked around the room, his sleep clouded eyes taking in his surroundings.

"Wha...?" he asked, confused.

"You got a letter from L."

"Huh? What about the letter L?" near was obviously not a morning person. Roger chuckled.

"No. A letter _from_ L." he said, handing Near the letter.

"Oh." Near muttered, taking the letter and rubbing his eyes. Near opened the letter and took out the two typed pages.

Near was excited to have the letter, although it was pretty boring. It reprimanded Mello for his childish behavior, and informed them that he would be visiting soon. He said, although he  
didn't like go out much, he thought it was necessary to get to know his possible successors. Near noted his use of "Possible", as if L decided that neither was good enough so he'd go find some other kids.

Near sighed and neatly folded the letter back up and stuffed it into the envelope. He wondered briefly if he should go find Mello, but knew that his anger for him upon seeing the white haired boy would be multiplied many times over if he found out he was keeping the letter to himself.

He got to his feet with a sigh and walked to the front door.

"_Your socks will get dirty." _He thought to himself before pushing open the door and stepping into the bright sunlight,

Near made his way to the soccer field where Mello was undoubtfully bullying others. When Mello caught sight of the petite boy walking toward him, he became furious.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

Near held out the letter.

Mello snatched it away. "It's already opened!" He yelled. "You think just because L personally visits you means that you get first dibs?!"

"Roger gave it to me because I was closer." Near stated, narrowing his eyes. "And besides, it's fitting considering you're being punished."

Mello's eyes narrowed to match Nears, though his gaze was much more menacing. He said nothing and instead began to walk to the building. Near had no choice but to follow him, he refused to be in the burning sun much longer.

* * *

**Yay, second chapter! I hope it didn't suck. **

**In this fic, L is 19. At least until the next chapter, then he turns 20.**

**I reread my first chapter and wanted to die. I'm going to fix all my errors soon. I hadn't read over it, so when I did I was like "Geh! I posted that?!" So yeah, it'll be better by tonight.**

**-Hybrid**


	3. Chapter 3

Three months later L came to visit yet again. Those three months were rather uneventful. Mello picked a few fights with Near, but Near only obliged once when Mello knocked over his dice castle on "accident." Near retaliated by throwing handful of dice at the boy, and when Mello just laughed, Near soon followed his dice with himself, pouncing on the blonde and not quite sure what to do next. Roger wasn't sure how to react when walking in on the two flustered boys, Near seated on Mello's hips, Mello on his back, hands on Near waist. Roger settled on giving the boys a sex lecture and telling them it's ok to like boys, although he'd prefer if they were a little older before committing sexual acts. (Mello responded by yelling and telling Roger that he was not having sex with Near, they were fighting, and Near stared at the ground, blushing, embarrassed after just having "The Talk.")

L came to the orphanage unexpected. He had some extra time after working on a case in the area.

"Hello." He said quietly, standing in Mello's doorway.

"L!– er, Ryuuzaki!" Mello exclaimed, jumping up to meet the man. "What're you doing here?"

"I was around here so I thought I'd drop by." He said, scratching the back of his neck.

"How was your last case?" Mello asked, hugging the detective.

"Easy." L replied, walking into the room and sitting on the chair. Mello sat cross legged on the bed.

"I hear you've been getting in a lot of fights lately."

Mello cringed. Just like L, always concise and straight to the point.

"Yeah . . . " he admitted.

"Why?"

"I . . ." he paused. It was odd, telling L this. "I do this to take out my frustration at my parents."

"You feel bad? Angry?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you think the other orphans feel the same? The other kids that were abandoned must have the same feelings of rejection and unlove."

"I know–"

"Mello." L interrupted, "You have to stop this behavior."

"O-ok. I'll stop."

"Good." L got up to leave.

"Wait– where are you going?"

"To say hello to Near and leave. You and I both know that any conversation we have at this time will be awkward. I am not one to make small talk, and no offence, especially not to children."

Mello nodded. "I understand. But I was wondering, do you want to do something fun?"

"Fun?" L asked, stepping back into the room. "Like what?"

"Video games."

* * *

Near walked through the halls picking model glue from his fingers. For some reason, the Gundam he was building has been quite troublesome. Ah well, it stood in full glory now, and he walked to his room in search of a nice puzzle to pass the time.

He walked past Mello's room and didn't bother to look in. He knew him and Matt were in there playing fighting games.

"Ha!" Mello's unmistakable voice shouted, "You're not very good at this, are you?"

"_What?"_ Near though, _"Matt's good at everything video game related."_

"I apologize if I haven't spent days mashing buttons."

"_That voice is deeper than Matt's. Besides, Matt _had_ wasted days mashing buttons. That voice is familiar, but from where . . . ?"_

"Don't apologize Ryuuzaki-_kun_, just get better."

"Don't make fun of my possible heritage."

Near retraced his steps and peered into the room. Sure enough, there was L next to Mello, some fighting game flashing across the screen.

Near knew that he had some pretty weird dreams, but this was pure nonsense. There was no way in hell that L was actually in there with Mello.

L smirked at the blonde as his character sent Mello's flying into the side of the screen, an announcer saying, "K.O!" as the fiery letters burned across the screen.

"Meh, it's only cuz I was going easy on ya."

"Right." L said. "You just don't want to admit that I beat you fairly."

"Yeah right." Mello retorted. "As if that could happen."

Then L stuck his tongue out at Mello.

"_Ok," _Near thought, _"This definitely beats the nightmare I had about the talking rug. This is absolutely preposterous!"_

He pinched himself just to be sure.

"Ow!" he yelped, covering the skin with his hand. He was awake.

"Hello, Near." L said calmly. "Care to join us?"

"I..." Near stuttered. _"This is happening? Truly happening?"_

"If he joined us, we'd have to play a racing game."

L pouted. "Right when I was getting good at Tekken, too . . . "

"I..." Near started again.

"Get in here, we wont wait forever!"

Near walked into the room slowly and took a seat next to L, one knee to his chest. Mello handed him a controller.

Near chose his character last. It was some futuristic motorcycle racing game. Mello instantly took first, L a little bit behind him, and Near being pushed to the back by the A.I. players. Dazed, Near pressed the X button hard. He had never played a video game before.

He quickly caught up with L and Mello. He may have never have played before, but he seemed to have a natural talent.

However, he soon lost his concentration when he felt L press against him, arm to arm. The breath caught in his throat when he felt the older man lean into him. L didn't seem to notice. That, or he didn't care as he stabbed at the acceleration button.

"Come on, Near." he said quickly. "If we shoot down Mello, you can still get first."

"Hey!" Mello protested, his eyes not leaving the screen.

The finish line was looming up. Near could hear the games crown cheering as camera flashes exploded from the animated bleachers. In a last attempt, L rammed his into Mello, his motorcycle exploding and Mello's slowing down considerably.

"Come on, Near." L said emotionlessly. Near pushed down hard on the button and avoided the wreckage as he flew over the finish line.

"Player 3– WINS!"

Mello stared at the screen.

"You beat me . . . " He said dazedly. _"He always beats me . . . "_

Near was just as shocked, his body tingling with delight from the contact with L, his mind buzzing.

"_L helped me win. He helped me beat Mello."_

And now he was leaving.

L got to his feet.

"I've stayed here longer than I anticipated. I'm afraid I must leave."

Mello jumped up and threw his arms around L.

"Goodbye Mello." L said, hugging Mello back.

"Bye Ryuuzaki." Mello replied, smiling happily.

He released the blonde as Near got to his feet and walked into L's arms. He breathed in L's scent. He smelled of fresh laundry, a sugary treat of some sort, and of a scent Near couldn't place. Of a scent that was L, and the most pleasant scent in the world. He loved the way his arms felt around him.

"Good bye Near."

"Farewell."

L turned and left the room without another word or second glance. Near decided that he too should leave. Mello probably didn't want him to be there any longer and went to leave  
when Mello told him to stop.

"What is L to you?"

Near didn't turn around. "What do you mean?" he asked, although he knew exactly what he meant.

"Like, what does he mean to you? What do you think of him as? I think of him kind of like a father . . . "

"Yes," ear replied. "I think of him as a father."

Then he left the room and went to his own.

"_What is L to me? How do I feel about him? This feeling he inspired in me– what is it? I've never felt this way about anyone. This whole situation is confusing." _Near sighed and crawled into bed. He'd think about it in the morning.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter three! I did a quick scan of this one but not a whole read through, so I apologize for any mistakes in advance.**

**Oh, and does anyone know how many years L worked on the Kira case before he... er, _stopped_**? **I need it for future chapters.**

**And a quick warning– the next chapter contains shounenai. Enjoy!**

**-Hybrid**


	4. Chapter 4

Near was thrown against the bed. He would think that it was violently until the person who had thrown him straddled his hips. He was panting, the loose clothes he wore hugging his sweat slickened skin uncomfortably. He wanted to take them off.

The person above him seemed to think the same thing, pulling on his shirt as they kissed him heatedly. Near moaned into the kiss, swimming in the sensations that rolled like waves through his body. The person above him unbuttoned his shirt deftly, still kissing the young boy passionately.

Near was confused, but that didn't stop him from responding to the kisses and heavy touches. He wrapped his arms around the person, fingers digging into their back. Their back was too broad to be a womans. Whoever was kissing him with such intense fever was male.

After this odd realization, he wondered who was kissing him. This person was too big to be Mello, and why Mello would kiss him so passionately (or at all) was beyond him.

His lover pulled away from him. Near opened his eyes to see, once and for all, who this man was.

Near gasped. He had not been expecting _him_.

"Nate . . . " the man whispered.

Near heart quickened and despite the sheen of sweat covering his body, a shiver ran down his spine.

"L.."

A small smile spread across his pale, kiss swollen lips.

"I. . . but– it's–"

"Shhh. . ." L whispered, laying his body gently on Nears. "Just relax and do what feels right."

Near closed his eyes as L's lips descended on his own, his hands dancing over the boys lithe body.

"_What feels right . . . "_

Near opened his eyes, sunlight streaming in through the window. His heart pounded in his chest as he took a deep, steadying breathconfused for a second as to why it was so easy to  
breathe. The adult weight had been removed from his chest. His sweat drenched body trembled.

"_A dream. It had all been a dream."_

"You talk in your sleep."

Near looked at the foot of his bed, his light eyes focusing on a certain chocolate eating blonde.

"I do?" he asked, fearful of what information he might have given away in his unconscious state. "What did I say?"

"Well, not words exactly." Mello said, snapping off a piece of chocolate and glancing outside. "More like noises. And from your current state, in addition to the noises you were making, I'd have to say it was a wet dream." Mello smirked down at Near.

Nears usually blank face gave away nothing. "It was a nightmare. I suffer from night terrors."

"Was it now?" Mello asked pleasantly, still smiling down at Near. Near nodded. "Then how do you explain this?" Mello closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he grunted and moaned, panting slightly. He opened his eyes, amusement dancing in the depths.

Near kept himself from flushing.

"If you _must_ know," he said coldly, "I was having a dream about being raped."

Mello raised his eyebrows.

"Er–"

"Happy now?" Near asked, crossing his arms.

"I suppose."

"Now what do you want? I can't even entertain the idea that you came here on your own free will."

"Aw, you got me." Mello replied, running his tongue up the half-eaten chocolate bar. "Roger wants to see you."

Near climbed out from under the covers. Rubbing his eyes, he walked down the hall and into the bathroom. Mello followed, munching on chocolate.

"Hey Near," he said, leaning against the wall, "About your dream–"

"I'd rather not discuss those memories." Near said, looking at Mello's reflection in the mirror.

"Wait, memories? Of the dream or were you really–"

"I don't want to talk about it." Near announced, wiping the dripping water from his face and leaving the bathroom. Mello stumbled after him and into the hall, but soon decided to leave  
the pale boy alone.

Near smiled to himself as he listened to Mello's footsteps slow and eventually fade. He walked to Rogers office, rubbing his eyes to further wake himself. He found himself at Roger's door sooner than he had anticipated.

He knocked on the door, his small fist thudding painfully against the thick wooden door.

"Come in." Roger called. Near opened the door and stepped inside.

"Please, sit down."

Near sunk into the overstuffed chair, one foot on the seat, his knee to his chest.

"Yes, Roger?"

Roger laces his fingers together and his serious gaze fell on the boy.

"Near, I thought you should know," Roger started, looking Near in the eyes, "The man that murdered you parents has finally been brought to justice."

Near's eyes widened.

"He . . . he was? By whom?!"

"L." Roger said, "L got the man to confess last night. All evidence pointed to the man– evidence that the police had missed, but he cornered the man and he finally broke down and  
confessed, not only to the murder f your parents, but to that of many others."

"Who was he?"

"Lind. L. Tailor."

Near nodded. "And L caught him? That's wonderful." Near breathed, smiling widely in a rare display of emotion.

Roger smiled warmly back.

"Mmhmm. L is just as amazing as ever. Now you should go get some breakfast, ok? I think you have a big test today in foreign language."

Near nodded and jumped to his feet, running out the door and thanking Roger happily.

Near practically skipped down the hall in delight. The man who had killed his parents had been caught. And by L none the less! He could barely contain his excitement.

He entered the dining area smiling to himself as he grabbed a bagel, banana and a glass of orange juice and sat down at a table away from everyone else. Munching on his meek  
breakfast, his mind drifted pass the capture of Lind. L. Tailor and to his dream. Usually dreams mean nothing, but this one meant everything. It would explain his emotions as of late.

According to his dream, he–

"Hey, Near!"

Near was awoken from his thoughts.

Near watched as Matt slammed down a bowl of cereal, milk threatening to slosh over the sides.

"What's got you so elated? Man, I saw you practically fly down the hall."

Near bit into his bagel and looked at Matt with blank eyes.

"I'm not in a position to tell you that."

"Aww, come on. Tell me."

Near glared at him.

"Wouldn't you rather talk to Mello?"

Matt swallowed a sloppy spoonful of cereal. "I haven't seen him since he went to talk to you this morning."

"Then how about a violent game?"

Matt smiled. "The batteries died on my Gameboy, and I am yet to ninja some new ones."

Near narrowed his eyes even more.

"So smart boy, I demand you to entertain me for the time being."

"I'm not your dog."

"All you have to do," Matt said, still smiling, "Is tell me why you're so happy. You've been showing quite a bit emotion lately. It's unlike you." Near finished his juice, crumbling the Styrofoam cup before dropping it back on his plate.

"If you insist, I found out this morning that L has brought the man that destroyed my life to justice." then the white haired boy rose form the table and started toward the trash can.

"If he hadn't killed your parents," Matt said, biting into an apple, "You would never have become a candidate for L."

Near glanced behind him at the brunette. Matt was smirking, but there was an understanding warmth in his eyes. Near shrugged it off as coincidence; there was no way he knew anything about his feelings or dreams. Matt was just being Matt.

"That is true, Matt. You have a point there." Then Near walked out of the room and into his own, to grab some stuff before class started.

Matt chuckled to himself, taking another bit of the apple.

* * *

**Er... Would 10 year old boys act like that? I know I would if I were a 10 year old boy. I mean, I was a pretty screwed up "innocent" 10 year old girl. Not that I'm discriminating in any way. Well, moving on. If this chapter was alive, I would stab it. With a spork. I revised this like... 6 times. Well, revised is not the right word. If you look in the notebook I was writing it down in, sentences would just randomly trail off, there would be a random line separating the paragraphs, and then suddenly I'm writing something that happened two pages ago, only changed slightly. Here's an example.**

"_**Near looked up from the sink, glaring at Mello's reflection in the mirror, water dripping off his face.**_

'_**I think you were**_

* * *

'_**Hey Near" Mello said, leaning against the wall. "About your dream–'"**_

**Yeah. I went through 3 different ideas before thinking about L putting Near's parents murderer in jail.**

**And for some reason, I needed Matt to at one point say "I ninja'ed, I must ninja, I am yet to ninja" or any of that sort in this story. Because I don't know about the rest of the public, but I can imagine Matt saying "Ninja" instead of "Steal".**

**Anyway, the next chapter will be soon because I have really big ideas for later chapters. So right now, I just need to think about how to waste 2 or 3 years of their life. Any ideas?**

**And don't worry. There's gonna be some more Mello lovin's in later chapters. He kinda demands it. XD**

**Hope you liked!**

**-Hybrid**

**(P.S. "Slickened" is not a word. Why the hell not? I mean seriously!! Meh. Well, neither was "undoubtfully" but I'm so cool I can make up words and most humans can't tell that I just _wish_ that** **certain suffixes and prefixes went on certain words.)**


	5. Chapter 5

Mello scowled at the test. Another perfect score for Near, another near perfect score for Mello. No matter how hard he tried, the stupid brat always did better than him.

And now L was obviously favoring him.

How dare they have the audacity to team up against him like that! It's not fair in the slightest bit.

And there they all are, fawning over Near. Perfect, genius, never-makes-a-mistake Near. It makes Mello sick, to see all of them craning to see what Near got. Near looking all shy and uncomfortable. But he was probably secretly enjoying it. He probably loved laughing at Mello for always being second. He's probably thinking, _"You have to be first to be L. Sucks to be you!"_

Mello took a seat at his desk and jammed the test into his bag, grabbing a bar of chocolate in the process. Matt came over and sat in the desk in front of him.

"What did'cha get?"

"98." Mello snarled, devouring the chocolate and grabbing another.

Matt frowned. "I got a 76."

"You should study more."

Matt snorted. "Yeah, it's doing you a load of good. You study 'til your eyes bleed; Near glances at a book, and he's still first."

Mello's fist twitched. He longed to swing at Matt, but he instead took a vicious bite of his chocolate bar.

Matt cocked his head to one side. "What, you're not going to hit me?"

"I promised L I wouldn't." Mello replied through a mouth full of chocolate.

Matt nodded in understanding. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any batteries, would ya?"

_"I hate this."_ Near thought to himself as kids crowded around him. There's nothing new. A 100 in big red letters and a smiley face, proclaiming he got a perfect score. Last time there was a 110 because he answered the extra credit question.

Near hated the end of class when the teacher passed back the tests. He loved getting a perfect score, but he hated the attention it brought. He hated standing there in the middle of a bunch of kids, them saying "let me see, let me see!" even thought it was the same thing.

Near shook his head and sighed. He thought about just throwing the test into the swarm of kids, wondering if they would tear it, each trying to look at it for themselves. He hated the rockstar feeling that washed over him.

If this was any other place, when someone got 100 the kids would say "Congrats!" and that was that. However, here, a 100 is amazing (unless you're Near. Then someone would die if he got less than 100.)

When the day finally ended, Near just wanted to go to bed. He didn't want to have to focus on anything. His usually flat line life was a rollercoaster, ever since L showed up. He was constantly trying to figure out his feelings for the older man.

"My feelings..."

He hadn't had time at all that day to concentrate on his dream. Now, as the sun was setting, he dropped his pen on the open notebook and looked out the window.

The last rays as the sun were nearly blinding as the glowing orb sunk below the horizon. Near subconsciously chewed on his lower lip. It was obvious now. There was no denying it.

He was in love with L.

Or as in love as 10 year old boy could be.

This realization wasn't nearly as shocking as one would think. Near merely twirled his hair, contemplating this new discovery.

_"The main question is, how do I get im to like me back?"_ Near thought, his long fingers attacking the light colored strands. He was young– only 10 years old. He'd probably have to wait a few years before L even thought about looking at him as more than a successor.

Near was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the girl enter his room.

"Hi Near."

Near turned his head to look at the girl, biting back a gasp of surprise. "Hello Kinoko."

"I was wondering if I could hang out?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't."

"What if I'm quiet?"

"I really doubt that'll happen."

"Hey!" the girl said, her voice full of mock anger. "That's mean."

"I suppose it was."

"Well, as payback for being mean to me, I'm going to stay in here."

"If you must. I'm going to study though, so I wont be paying attention to you."

Kinoko pouted. "It's not like you need to study!"

"Yes I do. I can't seem to get the hold of Russian."

"What, are you afraid Mello will get ahead of you?" Kinoko teased.

"Precisely." Near just wanted her to leave.

If he had been looking, he would have seen the fire that his statement sparked in her deep, brown eyes.

"That's the problem with you, Near!"

"Excuse me?" Near asked her, unsure of what provoked her sudden outburst.

"You think you're better than everyone else!"

"No I don't–"

"You think that just because you might become the next L that your all high and mighty! Well let me tell you something– you're not. Here I am, the only girl that will talk to you, and you don't even care! You're to caught up in yourself to notice anyone else!"

"Kinoko, that's not–"

"Don't you care about how I feel?" The girl asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "Haven't you ever bothered to take the time and think about me, and how many times I try to get you to talk to me?!"

Near blinked. "Why would you want me to talk to you?"

Kinoko stopped, her eyes wide in shock. "Because I like you, Near! For a genius, you're pretty stupid!" then she ran out of the room, crying.

Near stared after her, virtually unfazed by what had just taken place.

He picked up his pencil, relocating his train of thought.

_"Ok,"_ he thought, _"there's an example of one way how I should not try to win his heart."_ then the platinum haired boy got to work on his Russian homework.

Matt watched tet hysterical girl run out of Near's room, sobbing. It was no secret that she harbored a crush for the mysterious boy. But he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he was actually quite wanted. He'd probably be very popular if he wasn't so anti-social. Matt shook his head, his fingers moving skillfully over the gameboy. He walked down the hall, humming quietly to himself.

Matt wandered into Mello's room. He sunk onto Mello's bed, still humming.

"Not now Matt. I'm studying."

"So is Near." Matt informed, leaning back against the pillows. "Apparently, he can't master Russian."

"Russian?"

"Yep."

Mello smiled. "Interesting."

"You sound like a sick pervert, you know that right?" Matt asked. He yelped when the CD hit him square in the forehead.

"Owww." He complained, rubbing his head. "I thought L told you not to do that anymore."

Mello smiled at Matt. "Like one CD throw is going to jeopardize anything."

"It very well could. I'll make it!"

"Shut up, Matt. I've done worse to you." Mello said, turning back to his book. Matt pouted, but went back to his game, all well in the Wammy house. Weeks passed without any word from L. Near was starting to worry, though he had no idea why. If anything bad had happened to L, Roger would have told them.

Then one day, Roger called the boys to his office. Near sat on the floor-- he rarely stood for long, and Mello stood next to him-- He loved feeling superior when he towered over the lighter haired boy.

"Well," Roger began, "I've heard from Ryuuzaki and he's asked that you two be ready tomorrow by 8:00 A.M. for a surprise."

"What about classes?" Mello asked, not that he really cared.

"I think that since you two are the top of all our classes that it'll be fine if you miss a day."

Mello beamed. He asked if they were dismissed; he couldn't wait to go brag to Matt about his surprise.

Roger said they were free to go, and Mello ran out of the room. Near got to his feet and followed him, walking into his room and setting his toy on the ground. Then he climbed onto his bed, face down and buried his head in the pillow. He was eager for this surprise, but in all honesty, he was afraid to see L.

The day arrived and both boys were ready. Roger had ordered them to sit outside on the front steps and wait for the black car to arrive. L was right on time, a black car rolling to a stop right in front of them. L rolled down the window and smiled faintly. The two boys jumped up and ran (Well, Mello ran. Near kind of shuffled, not used to the loose shoes that adorned his feet.) to the car. L opened the door and the kids climbed into the spacious vehicle. They settled down on the expensive seats where Near fidgeted. He couldn't get comfortable. He longed to put his left leg on the seat beside him, but in respect of L and the car, his sneakered foot stayed on the floor.

"Good morning." L greeted them.

"Good morning!" Mello exclaimed happily.

"Good morning." Near said, much less enthusiastically, still struggling with the urge to lift his leg. "Is something wrong?" L asked Near, looking at the boy curiously.

"It's just that..." Near started, pleasantly surprised by L's concern. "I don't like shoes, or sitting like this."

A smile flitted across L's lips. "Then sit as you please. Anything to please you two." L said, handing Mello a chocolate bar. Near happily kicked off the nearly brand new shoes and pulled his foot on the seat.

"Today I have arranged a test for you two. I know it's probably not the surprise you were looking forward too, but I do believe that you two will enjoy it more than

you would any other."

Mello looked up from his chocolate bar. "What is it?"

"I have solved a case the other day. I am taking you two to a hotel room where I've arranged all the data I've collected. Think of it as a contest... Whoever solves the case first."

Mello's eyes lit up. He was excited when ever someone mentioned "Contest", especially against Near. "What do we get if we win?"

"Now that," L said quietly, his eyes shining, "Is a secret."

"Anything interesting happen in the time I was gone?" L asked the crestfallen boys.

"Well," Mello pondered. "Some guy mistook me as a girl."

L smiled slightly. "Oh really?"

"Yeah! I know I have long hair, but I don't look that girlish!"

L chuckled. "No, you don't. It's a mystery as to how anyone could mistake you as female."

Mello smiled happily at L.

"What about you, Near?"

"Nothing interesting happened..." Near said quietly, remembering his dream.

"Then tell me something uninteresting."

"I wouldn't want to bore you--"

"He made a girl cry." Mello cut in, biting into the chocolate bar.

L raised his eyebrows.

"You did?"

"N-no! Not on purpose anyway..." Near jumped to defend himself. "She came into my room and started to talk to me. Then suddenly she started yelling and ran off crying."

Mello leaned into L like he was telling him a secret. His eyes sparkled maliciously.

"She has a huge crush on him, and I think he likes her too, but is afraid to admit it."

"Ah." L replied, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Near.

"What? No! I--" Near stopped himself. He was about to say "I like L."

"I?" Mello teased.

"I don't like her."

"I believe you." L said convincingly.

Near blinked up at him.

_"Thank you, God._"

The time passed with some chit chat to make the minutes more bearable.

They arrived at the hotel and filed out of the car and into the glass doors. The trio climbed a few flights of stars before stopping in front of door 417. L slid his card key and opened the door.

They entered the room, which was neat and tidy aside from two computers with stacks of paper beside each.

L stepped to the side of the door and gestured around the room. "You can use anything in here. All the data I used is presented before you, but raw. I solved this case in 13 hours-- finding all I needed and figuring out the who did what. You should be able to find the culprit in 13 hours or less. You may begin."

Mello and Near took they're seats at a computer as far from each other as the could get. L didn't leave, probably so they couldn't help or sabotage each other. He instead sat on the couch eating an ice cream cone.

**(A/N This part is shortened because I'm to lazy to write out how they got to this conclusion)**

Near had reviewed every fact, now all he needed to do was put together the puzzle. He already had idea's where the pieces should go. It was obvious that Rebecca didn't do it, and Ahmed had no reason too, which means it has to be--

"Got it!"

L looked up, expressionless. "Who was it?"

"Mira Neonavic killed Bruce English."

"Good job. You got it."

The winner looked almost as sweet as the chocolate he regularly consumed.

Near gaped at the blonde.

_"He beat me?! He got the answer mere seconds before me?!"_

"I suppose you want your prize?"

"Oh yes." Mello replied.

L pulled out a piece of paper and handed to Mello. Near got a glimpse of the thin paper, which happily proclaimed that it could be used to spend the 12 hour day with L. The coupon was decorated with what appeared to be panda's, dancing in the corner and across the bottom.

"There are regulations." L continued. "If I'm in the middle of a case, I can't just drop everything and come see you. You can't expect me to arrive in 3 minutes, especially if I'm in another part of the world. However, when I do get here, your 12 hours start when I am officially in front of you. They will end no sooner than 12 hours, unless of course you ask me to leave. Any questions?"

Mello blinked down at the paper. "What's with the pandas?"

L blinked back at Mello, an almost embarrassed look spreading across his features.

"I was bored on the plane ride over here." He said very matter of factly.

Mello smiled. He'd been smiling a lot lately, Near noted. Smiling at _his_ L.

"I think they're cute." Mello said lightly.

L smiled. He's been smiling a lot too, at Mello of all people!

"Me too."

Near was distressed. They were sharing a moment. Multiple moment's! All because Mello beat him. How could he finally lose to Mello, and at something so important to him!

He wanted to blame someone. There was only one other time he'd failed like this. He had to place the blame on someone else before his own self loathing got out of control. But he couldn't. He knew it was all his fault.

L dropped them off and drove away. After losing to his rival, Near was even more closed off than usual. He gave a weak goodbye to L before he was gone and Near dragged himself up the front steps to the orphanage. Mello grabbed onto the other boys sleeve, smirking as he turned around to meet Mello's gaze slowly.

"Whoever would have thought that I finally beat you-- and at something as important as this! you really should have lost to me at a geography test, Near. Now I'm in the lead and we both know it."

Then he released Near and walked through the door.

Near stared after him, motionless and silent. He watched the door swing shut.

Mello was right. He knew that L could see Mello's full potential now.

Near didn't want to go inside. He instead walked through the looming darkness and to the swing set.

_"How depressing. Like in movies_._"_ he thought to himself as he took a seat on the swing.

He closed his eyes and pushed off from the ground gently, his toes grazing the dirt as his ankles flexed, propelling his body into a slow swing. He kept pushing, soon pumping his legs until the chains were no longer swaying slowly, but swinging ferociously. The cold wind of the night lashed at his hair and chilled his face. It easily went though his thin pajama's and sent goose bumps to raise across nearly every inch of his pale, angelic skin.

He'd never felt more alone in his whole life.

* * *

**I wrote half of this chapter in** **gmail because it has spell check and autosave. There was no way I was using notepad, and my new computer doesn't have wordperfect yet. Oh, the pain.**

**But about the chapter.**

**This chapter originally started as a seperate story, a oneshot. It was going to be called "Sweet Imperfection." But after writing the first paragraph, I decided to turn it into a chapter.**

**The reason L is all nice to the kids is because he remember what it's like to be an orphaned child, and thus treats them differently. He is softer around them and more relaxed. So it's kind of like a new side of him, not an OOC thing (Even though it kind of is... X( ...)**

**Somethings to look forward to:**

**Near's past-- Revealed! (In chapter 7)**

**Lind. L. Tailor's big part! (In chapter 7..)**

**L and Near sleep together!! (But in the innocent way, not the screwing each other way. But it's in the next chapter!!)**

**So stick around! You might find it worth your while!**

**-Hybrid**

**(EDIT-- In my eagerness to post this, I didn't see that it said "24" instead of "12" which what it was supposed to say. I also meant that Near's past and the Lind. L. ness would happen in chapter 7. I forgot what chapter this was... //Blushes//) **


	6. Chapter 6

When Near was found, it was past midnight. The caretakers had noticed he was missing hours ago, and after scouring the orphanage for any sign of the boy, they decided to look outside, however improbable as it may seem.

They found him by the swings, hugging himself and shivering. There was a long cut going up his calf. It wasn't deep and obviously didn't bleed a lot, but the fact that it was there was baffling. The adult picked him up and carried him inside and into the infirmary where they warmed him up and dressed his wound.

Near was delirious. The moment he regained the lightest bit of consciousness he began mumbling unintelligent things. They couldn't really make sense of everything he spoke of, merely trying to wake him up further.

"No..." he moaned. "no... I meant... I meant to.. win..."

The nurse regarded Near for a moment before whispering something comforting and continuing to finish lathering his wound with antibacterial.

But the boy did not stop.

"I want... L..."

The nurse assumed that he meant "I want to be L."

"Shhh, shh." she cooed. "Just go to sleep or wake up. Stop teetering on the edge."

But despite the nurses best efforts, the boy stayed in his cold induced stupor until morning, when he finally fell into a deep sleep.

It was evening when he woke up, groggy and hungry, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and silently hoping he hadn't said anything in his unconscious state.

"It's good to see you're awake."

"Huh?" Near looked over at where the voice came from. Matt was sitting in a chair next to the bed, hands racing over the portable game of the day. "What are you doing here?"

"I decided to get out of a test by being sick. The nurses saw through it and thought that I, since I'm conveniently here, should watch over you until you wake up." Then he looked at Near for the first time since the boy opened his eyes. "I guess next time I want out of a test, I'll just go pass out outside at night. That seems to work wonders."

Near glared at Matt. "Well now I'm awake. I don't believe that you need to watch me any more."

Matt chewed on his bottom lip, appearing as if he hadn't heard the white haired boy. His fingers worked across the device with more effort than before.

Near watched him with curiosity. "_A boss battle..?"_

Near sat there and watched Matt's expressions. The boy was determined to win, a look of sheer concentration on his face, his fingers dancing across the buttons at lightning speed.

And then quite suddenly, he stopped.

Matt looked down at he device, a look of shock spreading over his features. Then he threw the Gameboy at the bed.

Near quickly pulled his legs to his chest, the Gameboy landing where his legs were moments before. The device bounced one– twice– three times before settling happily on the white blanket.

"Anyway," Matt continued as if nothing happened, "I'd rather be in here, watching you sleep, than have to learn about history."

"Well," Near said, looking slightly flustered, but still in control of his emotions, "I suppose you can leave now, considering I am awake." he stated again.

Matt peered at Near, his eyes taking in the disheveled boy before him. Nears hair was in even worse condition than usual. He looked so tired that it seemed he would pass out again. He looked so... Sad.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay here and keep you company?" Matt asked, a rare moment of kindness showing through.

"Quite."

Matt got up, grabbed his Gameboy, and left the room without a second glance. Near heard him down the hall, informing one of the nurses that Near was awake.

And hallucinating.

Near sighed. It's just like Matt to pull something like this.

The nurse came running into the room soon afterwards.

"Whatever you're seeing," She exclaimed grabbing onto Near's shoulders. "It's not real!"

---

Near was released from the ward the next day. However, the caretakers did not deem him fit enough to go to class, and would have to stay in bed until he was over his cold.

"Can't I at least do my homework?" Near asked, pulling the covers up to his chin.

"Not until you're better. You need to rest up." Then she left the room, turning off the lights and closing the door on her way out.

Near buried beneath the covers, flipping over onto his stomach and nestling his head in the over soft pillow. It was true, he was tired. But he felt so useless. First he let down L, and now he's letting down himself.

_'Ah well, it's not like I can miraculously get over a cold.'_ and he closed his eyes and dozed off.

When he awoke, the room was dark and very hot. Someone was pounding down the door.

"Come in." He rasped, shocked at how scratchy his voice came out.

Mello opened the door with a bowl of soup and set the steaming broth next to Near on the bed stand.

"The cooks told me to give it to you." He said emotionlessly, blowing the steam away, his cool breath causing ripples across the surface of the chicken soup. He smiled at Near– smiled evilly.

"We wouldn't want fragile Near burning his tongue, now would we?" He asked mockingly before leaving. Near regarded the soup and then dismissed the meager meal, rolling over and ignoring the enticing aroma it gave off.

This time, he dreamed of incoherent images, flashing across his minds eye, framed with a yellow sky. Usually, unfortunately, he could remember his dreams with vivid detail. He'd even mastered lucid dreaming. It was how his psychiatrist told him to deal with night terrors– realize they were nothing but a dream and control it to not frighten him. He'd gotten so good, he could not only identify and control dreams, he could wake up if he deemed the current dream to much to handle.

But these dreams were not only completely random, but also seemed to disable every lucid dreaming trick he'd learned. He couldn't even recognize them as dreams, until he awoke from the multicolored, should-have-been-drug-induced REM period of sleep.

His hunger had awoken him, and was now stabbing at his stomach, telling him it required food or else it was going to eat itself. Near clutched his stomach and winced as another sharp pain raced through his insides. He regretted instantly ignoring the now cold soup.

His body demanded nutrition. Shakily, Near threw back the covers on the bed and got to his feet. He made his way to the kitchen and slumped against the door frame, weak from hunger and exhaustion.

He breathed out slowly, his breath hissing as he attempted to ease the pain in his stomach. Still holding his arm around his torso, hoping that it might help the stabs of discomfort, he opened the refrigerator and looked at what the orphanage had to offer.

After scanning the contents and seeing that nothing struck his interest, (_What did they say? A long hunger makes for a short appetite?_) He considered ignoring the pain and going back to sleep, but his stomach protested, sending another shooting pain to lace his abdomen. He opened the fridge again and pulled out the milk. Slamming it onto the counter, he opened a cupboard and pulled out a box of cookies. He quickly poured himself a glass a milk and sat down at the table, happily eating the sugary treat.

He was on his fifth chocolate chip cookie when he someone walked into the kitchen.

"Near?"

Near swallowed his cookie and looked at the girl with blank eyes.

"Good night, Kinoko."

"Oh, Near!" She sighed, and walked over to the boy quickly. "I want to apologize about what I said the other day. I'm really sorry."

Near blinked at the dark haired girl. "It's quite alright." He said quietly, reaching for another cookie.

"May I?" she asked, pointing at the cookies.

"I've no objection."

She smiled and grabbed one, nibbling on it and staring off into space. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up.

"Near...?"

"Yes?"

"When I said I liked you... I meant it." Kinoko said meekly, looking away from the mysterious boy.

Near grabbed his now empty glass of milk. He looked into the glass cup, at the milk residue lining the sides.

"I'm sorry," He responded, getting up and setting the glass in the sink. "I like somebody else." Then he left the kitchen.

---

A day later, he was able to return to class. The amount of work he had to make up was nearly unbearable. But he had until the end of the month to finish it, so he had enough time to get through it all.

The news of Mello finally getting first place spread through the orphanage like wild fire. He could hear them whispering about his defeat, shooting fleeting glances at him as he passed. Lunch was the worst time of the day, having to sit in a room with every single kid from the house talking about him was torture. It made him want to curl up and die, reliving the shame of losing to Mello with every uttered word.

Finally– the last class of the day. Near couldn't wait to get out of the classroom and find refuge.

He jotted down the equations on the board and worked them out quickly.

_"Maybe if I finish quickly and feign illness, they'll let me out early." _

The room was far from quiet, distracting him ever so slightly. He tuned out the voices and worked. For whatever reason, the teacher was letting the class go crazy. Maybe the teacher had just given up for the day? That's quite un-teacher like.

And then he heard it.

"... I don't know why anyone would want to be that stupid detective, L, anyway. I mean seriously! Spending, like, your whole life anonymous. What a meaningless existence. And Near! I can't believe he lost to Mello! I think that maybe he's losing his intelligence; getting dumber by the minute. And how dramatic he's been about it! It's sad. "

Near wasn't sure what set him off. Maybe it was having to endure the flickering glances and hushed whispers all day. Maybe it was the comment about him losing intelligence. Maybe it was because Pierre had called L "stupid". Whatever the reason, it was meaningless as Near jumped from the seat and pushed Pierre into the wall, wrapping his long fingers around the other boys neck and squeezing.

Pierre was taken totally off guard, yelping as Near jumped him. He could feel Near choking him, the light haired boys finger nail digging into his skin. He clawed at the hands that held him there, taking the life from him, trying to breath in ragged gasps.

Near decided to address each issue as Pierre had listed them.

"How dare you insult L!" He yelled, pushing Pierre against the wall harder. "You don't even know him or a thing about his work!"

Near could feel the skin break beneath his middle finger nail. He was momentarily thankful for not trimming his nails recently.

"And what?" He screamed. "Am I not allowed to make a mistake?! I'm human! I'm allowed to err! Or is all you see when you look at me a puzzle and a perfect score?!"

Pierre was desperately trying to push Near away, clawing at the air between them, his shaky hands not coming in contact with Near's rage flushed body.

And then hands were pulling the lighter haired boy away, ripping his hands away from Pierre's throat. Pierre crumpled on the ground, gasping for fresh breaths of air, his hands at his neck.

Near didn't struggle against the teachers hold, his rebellious episode fading.

"Near!" the teacher scolded, holding Near's arms behind his back, "What in the world possessed you to do that?!"

"He was talking bad about L– about me! I couldn't stand it anymore!"

The teacher pulled Near out of the classroom roughly and down the hall to Roger's office, hissing something about bad behavior and punishment. Teachers and students were poking their heads out of their classrooms to see what was going on. Near, ignoring the teacher's rambling, eyed Mello's blonde head sticking out from a room to his left.

"Can we stop by the bathroom?" Near asked as they passed by Mello. "I think I have some of his blood under my fingernails."

This is only made the teacher walk faster.

After being thrown in the waiting room, his teacher talking to Roger about what happened, the rage and anger Near had been feeling so strongly before left his body, leaving exhaustion and second thoughts in it's wake. He hated having to wait outside the door for what seemed forever. Left to his own devices, he came up with some pretty outrageous punishment's for his fight.

The teacher exited and he was called in.

"Have a seat." Roger said without a bit of emotion.

Near sat and resumed nervously twirling his hair.

"Near, to say I'm disappointed is an understatement." Roger said calmly, looking at Near with serious eyes. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"

Near took a deep breath and told Roger the whole story– everything that led to it, including the whole days conversation adventures. The story ended with his brutal assault on poor Pierre. Now that he was explaining the story to Roger, he was no longer proud that he stood up for himself for once. All he felt was the sick feeling of shame that was currently consuming his mind.

Roger put his hands together and sighed.

"Well Near," he began, "This is the first time you've ever had an outburst like this. However, first time or not, you did serious damage to Pierre."

"I know." Near squeaked.

"L will be notified, and you'll have kitchen duty for a week."

Near barely heard his punishment.

He stopped hearing everything after "L will be notified." The blood pounding in his ears was deafening. He knew that it would happen, but it was so much more painful to actually hear it.

"Near, do you understand?"

"I understand."

_'Oh God, he's going to hate me. He's going to make Mello his successor as soon as possible.'_

"Near?" Roger asked, concerned, "Are you ok?"

"Fine Roger." Near choked out. "I'm just thinking about my actions, and how ashamed I am. May I apologize to Pierre? I feel awful about the damage I did."

"Most certainly, Near. Just be in the kitchen before dinner."

Near nodded and left.

He wandered the halls in search of the infirmary. All the while, one thought raced across his mind.

_"He'll never love me now."_

_---_

The letter came on the last day of his punishment. It had a Russian post mark. Inside written in L's handwriting, were all the ways L was disappointed in Near. With every word Near felt his heart freeze a little more, until it finally shattered. Out of breath and feeling physically sick, Near looked away from the letter, regaining his composure before reading on. Near got to the last line, a feeling a dread weighing heavily in his chest. However, the last few words scrawled on the bottom filled him with a slightest bit of hope.

_"However, despite how many ways you could have handled the situation better, without violence, it is the first time anyone had ever stood up for me like that. Although I'm flattered, don't ever do it again. You hear me? Never again." _

Near's cold, broken heart floated back where it was supposed to be all along.

L didn't hate him after all.

Near couldn't recall how many weeks went by before Mello broke down and used the coupon. He was sitting in his room, finishing an essay when he heard Mello and Roger walk by.

"Please call him!" Mello whined.

"I'll call him," Roger sighed. "But I can't promise he will come."

"But he said he would!" Mello said, his voice pleading. "It';s Wednesday! He can be here from anywhere in the world in three days!"

"I said I'd call him, Mello. We'll have to wait and see."

Near stared at the computer monitor. Then quietly, he got up and closed the door. Leaning against the painted wood, he sighed, his heart racing. He was so excited to see L. Then remembered:

It was Mello's day with the detective.

Privately sulking, Near wandered back to his computer and continued typing.

The next day, Mello was beyond chipper. L must have agreed to come on Sunday. The boy was so happy, he didn't bully a soul in the orphanage; He must have wanted them to feel his glee.

The day came when the detective would arrive. He told Mello he'd be there at 7:00 a.m. Near watched jealously as Mello climbed into the car and rode away, the sun barely over the horizon.

Without making a sound, he went back to bed.

He didn't get out of bed until 6:13 p.m., when the caretakers herded the children into the cafeteria for dinner. Near glared down at the food, ate a few bites and left. The other kids didn't seem to notice his disappearance, too preoccupied with the lack of Mello's presence. He escaped into the hall and turned to make his way back to his room. Then he saw them.

Mello.

L.

Holding hands.

Near stopped where he was.

Upon closer examination, he noticed that they weren't holding hands; Mello was clutching onto the thin, white fabric of L's shirt.

Swallowing hard, Near decided to keep walking. He slipped past the duo in the hall and to his bedroom. He tried to ignore L's eyes watching him climb the stairs.

He got to his room and sat down at the desk. He looked blankly out the window-- it was raining-- before putting his head on his desk, attempting to smother emotions swirling up inside him.

He sat there for a while, not moving. His mind reeled to grasp every though as it flew by, his mind a chaotic turmoil.

_"Why have I let L control my emotions like this?!"_ he wailed soundlessly.

When his mind was over flowing with emotion, when the thoughts were to much bare, he pushed them aside and listened to the rain, spraying violently against his window.

Without looking up, he could tell that the rain was pouring. He hoped that it wasn't a thunder storm.

His question was answered as an earth shattering boom shook the orphanage.

Near bolted straight up. He'd always been afraid of thunder storms.

Another clasp of thunder followed a web of lightning. Near's heart raced, beating against his ribcage. He wished it was loud enough to block out the thunder. When the third roar of thunder made the building tremble, Near shakily ran out the door. He didn't care where he went, as long as it was there was someone with him. He hated being alone during thunder storms.

He raced down the hall to see L and Mello where they were before, only this time accompanied by Roger. He skidded to a halt before he called to much attention to himself.

".. I'm sorry, Ryuzaki, but there's been a flash flood. You wont be able to leave until morning."

L put his thumb to his mouth, chewing lightly on the thick skin. "That's quite alright. I don't have anything terribly important planned for tomorrow."

Mello's eye's lit up. "You can stay with me!" He exclaimed. L looked up, as if he were thinking.

"Thank you, Mello. But I want to stay with Near." He turned to look at the white haired boy, whom was frozen in place. "Is that ok with you?"

Near nodded, waiting for L to bid goodnight to Mello and Roger and then followed him up the stairs.

"You're afraid of thunder." L said, a statement, not a question.

"I am." Near replied, although he knew L had not been asking a question.

"As am I." L said, his thumb back to his lips.

Near thought about it for a second. It seemed preposterous that L would be afraid of something so unimportant.

"It's odd," Near started, walking into his room, "How one can be afraid of something harmless like thunder."

"I have my reasons." L informed. Near smiled.

"As do I."

The conversation ended there, each giving off a vague whisper of their past, but nothing that could shed light on the darkness.

Near walked over to the bed, pulling the covers to the corners after his restless day.

"I'm exhausted." He said quietly, climbing beneath the blankets, giving L a reason as to why he was going to bed to early. L looked at him curiously.

"That's odd." He said, walking over to the bed. "Roger said you've slept all day."

"I've been in bed all day." Near replied, making himself comfortable. "That doesn't mean I was sleeping."

L nodded and switched off the light. Near felt the covers pull away from him, the bed shift and sink as L lied down, and then the covers being rustled, tucked around L and without meaning to, himself.

"I'm an insomniac." L said, rolling over. Near tensed when he felt L's body shift closer to his. "There is a 86 percent chance that I wont fall asleep for at least five hours."

Near buried his face in the pillow. "That's alright." He said. Then silence.

He thought it would be hard to sleep with his crush beside him, and with the thunder cracking right outside his window. But L must have been magic, for the boy closed his eyes and feel asleep almost right away, lulled by the study rhythm of L's breathing, puffs of breath caressing his neck ever so slightly.

* * *

**Sorry for the delay!! I had writers block for half of this chapter DX But I got it finished before January was over, and that was a personal goal I set for myself.**

**This is the longest chapter I've ever posted. Ever. So celebrate it-- It's a record for me. And I'm sorry for any spelling/gramatical/puncuation mistakes. **

**Hope you liked it!**

**-Hybrid**


	7. Chapter 7

_Near was young, five years old, he realized. He was sitting in his living room, stacking blocks while his parents watched the news. His mother gazed at him lovingly, pointing out his genius like antics to his father. His dad looked at him worriedly, scared that Nate might be autistic. His mother refused to accept that. _

_The door bell rang._

_His mother and father exchanged confused looks. Who could possibly be visiting at this time of night, in the pouring rain?_

_His dad got up and walked to the door. Nate looked up curiously._

_In the doorway stood a man. He had long, dark brown hair, and he was soaked to the bone. The two, Nate's father and the man in the rain, talked for a few minutes. The man told some sob story about his car breaking down, and if he could stay here until morning when he could call a tow truck to come get him and his vehicle. _

_Nate's dad invited him in, leading him to the living room and asking his wife to fetch the man some towels._

_Nate twirled his hair nervously. There was something about the man that made him uneasy. There was a gleam in his eyes. One that reflected something other than innocent intentions._

_Nate followed that man across the room with his eyes, watching intently as his overly kind parents draped fluffy towels over the mans sopping wet body. He kept telling them how thankful he was, sipping the hot coffee they had provided him happily. _

_"My name is Mike, by the way. Mike Tailor."_

_His parents shrugged of the gratification, giving the man their names in return._

_"... And this is our son, Nate." She said, smiling at Nate, who hadn't moved the whole time. _

_"Good evening, Nate." Mike said, smiling. "How old are you?"_

_"You're lying." Nate replied, his voice commanding. Mikes eyes got wide._

_"E-Excuse me?"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry!" Nate's mother rushed in. "He gets like this sometimes." She turned to Nate. "Behave yourself!" She chided._

_Nate looked away._

_He knew this man was lying. He knew it._

_But his parents were unconvinced._

_Nate wasn't sure how much time passed as he stared at Mike from under his silver hair. He couldn't tell you who long he sat there, calculating this man's face, his movements, everything about him. There was something ominous about the adult. Something evil and terrifying, a secret he hid cleverly. _

_Nate sighed. He'd been here before. It was a nightmare, one that plagued his unconsciousness often. The day he became an orphan. He'd gone over this scene again and again in his sleep, to the point that he knew every minute detail.. _

_He stacked blocks warily, listening for the inevitable. Finally, he heard the key sentence. The words that ruined his life._

_"Hey, how far to the city?"_

_Nate inwardly cringed. How stupid are his parents to live in the middle of a forest, and to take in strangers?! They must be idiots!_

_"Oh, Uhmm... At least eight miles. Don't you think so, honey?"_

_His father nodded in reply._

_"Oh, my. Does anyone else live around here?"_

_"No." His mother said. "We're the only house for a while."_

_Nate glanced up to look at Mike. That gleam he had seen before shone brighter._

_He was so menacing._

_"Oh." He said, reaching into his pocket. "That's fine then. No one will hear you scream."_

_Nate remembered the gunshot, like thunder, surrounding him. He closed his eyes and covered his ears. "No!" He yelled, trying to block out the noise; to keep it from consuming him, grasping tightly to his soul and squeezing until it hurt to breathe, to move, to think. _

_But it seemed that as quickly as it came, it was gone, leaving a resonating ring to echo through out the room. His mother was screaming. Not even her voice could break the silence of death. Nate opened his eyes. _

_Mike was holding onto his mothers arm. She was fighting, whithering beneath his grasp, desperately trying to break free and get away. He father lay on the beige carpet, crimson blood pooling underneath him from the hole that had appeared in his chest. _

_"Call the police!" his mother shrieked, reaching for Nate before turning and wailing on her captor._

_Nate scrambled for the phone, crawling across the floor. It was within his reach. He heard mother scream again, her body hitting the wall, heavy footsteps coming after him. His fingers grasped the cool plastic. It was smooth and promising in his hand. The last hope he and his family had. That was the last thing he felt before the excruciating pain, his world going black as the man pistol whipped him in the back of the head. _

_Nates subconscious and imagination filled in what may have happened during the time he was out cold, bleeding from a head wound, inches from the phone, his life source. In his dream, his mother, his kind, gentle, beautiful mother, tried everything in her power to help Nate. _

_"No!" She screamed, her throat raw. "Stay away from him!"_

_Mike turned on his heels and stalked toward her, the gun in his hand._

_"You better be thankful I only had that one bullet left." He hissed, approaching her._

_"Stay away from me!" She sobbed._

_Mike smiled._

_"Woman, you haven't even seen the worst."_

_He grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground and throwing onto the couch._

_"Bitch, you have no idea what I'm going to do to you and your precious little Nate." He snarled, forcing himself on her._

_"No!" She wailed, "Don't touch me!"_

_Mike's smile widened, his white teeth gleaming as he lowered his body across hers. She flailed, trying to push him off, to harm in __anyway possible. Mike grabbed onto her wrist, holding her tightly._

_"Do you really think," he asked almost sweetly, wrapping his fingers around her small, pale wrist, "that such a delicate body part will stop me?" With that, he broke the thin bones. She howled in pain, thrashing to get away, but stopping as soon as a clenched her broken wrist to keep her there. She sniffled at him, helpless. _

_"Please..." She pleaded. "Let me go."_

_"Never." he replied, grabbing her other wrist and snapping that one too._

_She screamed louder, wincing with the pain that invoked on her thrashed vocal chords._

_He got off of her and walked over to Nate. Despite the pain, despite her snapped bones, she yelled at Mike, telling him to get __away from her son._

_Mike looked down at the petite bundle of white and red, smirking. "He's already dead." He informed, unplugging the phone._

_His mother was too shocked to do anything, to shocked to move. Mike went into the kitchen and got a knife. When he returned, the butcher knife glinting evilly in the light, Nate's mother was sobbing silently, her hands cradled in her lap. _

_"Kill me." She said, looking at Mike with red, tear stained eyes._

_"In due time." He replied, pushing her against the couch._

_Nate remembers his mother. She was pretty, with amazingly light blonde hair that gently curled around her face and glittering __emerald eyes. She'd had a small body, but she was willowy, the effect mesmerizing and beautiful. He remembers staring at her, watching as she walked about the house, doing chores and humming to herself. _

_She was rinsing the dishes when he walked up to her, buried his face into her powder blue skirt and murmured, "Mommy, you so pwetty."_

_She smiled down at her son and scooped him up in her arms. "Nate, you're so handsome." She replied._

_"Weally?" He asked, twirling his hair._

_"Yes." She said kissing his cheek. "The most handsome little boy ever."_

_Then the two went and put together a puzzle, leaving the dishes half dried, the other half still soaking in soapy water._

_When Nate opened his eyes that time, his mother had been smiling and laughing. Her hair was falling about her face in light colored wisps, and her eyes, what Nate thought to be her most wonderful feature, were clear and gleaming, sparkling with happiness and kindness. _

_When he opened his eyes this time, his mother was crying. Her hair was sticking to her red, tear streaked face, the once gentle curls knotted into something furious. Her eyes were closed, but he knew they were bloodshot, her incandescent eyes twinkling with tears, not happiness. _

_She was bleeding from multiple cuts and stab wounds. Her life was seeping from her arms and chest._

_But that wasn't the worst._

_Nate was surprised he'd woken up at all. The excruciating pain throbbing in the back of his head told all he needed to know about why he was face down on the floor. Cold blood had dried on his skin, matting his hair and staining his clothes. He focused his pain dulled eyes on the scene in front of him, only to want to run away, far, far away. _

_He'd already watched his dad die. He himself had taunted death. He did not need to witness his mother being raped._

_He closed his eyes tightly, trying to desperately block out the sight he'd just seen. He quickly wondered what his chances of escape were._

_Considering the intense pain he was currently experiencing, the chances were slim to none._

_"Okay," Nate thought, "I'll rest for a few minutes, and try to run. I'll use my mother's current... predicament to my advantage."_

_He lay there for a few moments, willing the pain to disperse elsewhere. He counted to 100 before pushing himself up off the __floor._

_"Nate!" his mother gasped. Nate mentally screamed at her. If she had been silent, maybe Mike wouldn't have noticed him._

_If Mike had seen him, or looked up because of his mother's gasp, it didn't matter because he was looking at him now._

_"You bastard!" he cursed, reaching for his pants and the knife at the same time._

_Nate grabbed onto the table, steadying himself for the onslaught of pain. His head felt like it was going to explode, his vision blurred and he realized that he really wasn't in any condition to escape._

_"Nate, run! Run!" his mother shrieked. She threw herself at Mike, sending the man to the floor, but also sending the knife through her stomach._

_"God damn you!" Mike yelled, trying to push the dead weight off of him. _

_"Run..." She said, blood gurgling from her pale lips._

_"Easier said than done." Nate thought, stumbling towards the front door._

_He heard Mike yelling as he grabbed the mans shoes and locked the door before venturing out into the rain. The only light he had was the lamps illuminating the windows of his no-longer home, and the flickering lightning. _

_He threw the boots into the wet dark forest as he ran. He may not be able to get far barefoot, but neither could Mike._

_He half ran, half staggered through the woods. His head throbbed with pain, and rain misted his eyes, not doing much for his already pain-impaired vision._

_"Get back here!" He heard Mike shout behind him._

_"Does he really think that I will turn around and run to him? Is he really that much of an idiot?"_

_Nate listed off his disadvantages as he bumbled haphazardly through the rough tree trunks. He was slower than this man on a daily basis. He was even slower because of the blunt object that has connected with his skull eariler. He was even slower because he was running through mud and rocks and pine needles in nothing more than socks. He was wearing white, so he knew that even without the unpredictable lightning, he was quite noticeable against the dreary background. _

_He was going to die._

_Nate lunged fore ward, a particularly raised tree root getting the better of him and twisting, or possible breaking his ankle. He crawled through the think gloppy mud and pulled himself up with the help of a rained covered tree. He winced when he put pressure on his foot. _

_He mentally added this to his list of disadvantages._

_Clinging to the dripping trees, he limped his way through the forest._

_He heard it before he saw it; the sound of cars on a road. His paved ribbon of hope._

_He burst out of the tightly growing trees. Trying his hardest to put minimal pressure on his injured ankle, he limped to the side of the road, praying that a car would drive by soon and notice the mud and blood covered boy. _

_"There's still hope." He thought. "It can't have been more than 20 minutes. Maybe Dad was shot in the shoulder. Maybe Mom was still breathing. Maybe we can still be a family."_

_But his hopes were shattered as lightning lit up a man running out of the forest._

_"You little son of a--" He voice was washed out by the thunder, the flash of electricity glinting almost blindingly off the knife poised about his head._

_Nate collapsed, eyes wide with fear and realization._

_His dad was dead. His mom was too._

_But at least he would meet them in heaven._

_Nate screamed, his voice ripped from his throat and carrying on the raging winds. It traveled to the edges of the world, to the oncoming car. It rang in his ears and deafened the sound of the rain, the sound of the knife coming down like a guillotine, ready to end his puny existence. _

"Near!" someone called, "Near, wake up."

Near opened his eyes, blindly trying to push whoever was leaning ever him away.

"No..." he whimpered, fighting against the strong arms that held him there. "No, don't kill me.."

"Near." L said stiffly. "Near, it's me, L. I'm not going to hurt you."

"L-L?"

"Yes. It's okay. You're alright."

"L." Near sobbed, wrapping his arms around L. L immediately tensed. How was he supposed to comfort the crying boy? It'd obviously been a nightmare-- Near had a sleep talking habit.

He leaned up, pulling Near closer to him.

"It's okay, Near. It was just a nightmare."

"H-he killed them!" Near choked, crying into L's shirt. "Why did they have to die?"

"I can't answer that." L said

L was not one for comforting. He didn't know what to say. Near wasn't speaking anymore, just crying quietly. Finally, L did the only thing he could think of.

He wrapped his arms tighter around Near and leaned back down on the bed, Near still in his arms. Near looked up at him with large, confused eyes.

"Try to go back to sleep, okay?"

Near snuggled into L, drying his eyes on his thin, cotton shirt

L could swear that he heard Near whisper something along the lines of, "I love you" as he closed his eyes.

L looked down at the mess of white hair, surprised.

Then again, he could have thought L was his mother.

Either way, L closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

---

When Near woke up, he wasn't sure what was going on. Somebody was holding him, he could tell by their long arms wrapped around him and the gentle rise and fall of his "pillow."

He knew this, but what he couldn't register was _why_ someone was holding him, and _who_ that person was.

He tried to remember everything that happened last night. He had a nightmare, and someone was their to comfort him. And that person was... L?

The breath caught in Nears throat. He was sleeping _in L's arms_. What was he supposed to do? He decided to untangle himself from L's grasp. As he slowly pulled away from the older man, L's hold on him tightened, and pulled the boy back to his chest.

Near, eyes wide, heart racing, soon came to the conclusion that L wasn't going to let him go.

Near was on the line of ecstatic and terrified. As he woke up more, he realized just _where_ he was.

L's body curled around him, his knees attempting to curl into his chest. However, Near disrupted this unconscious process. To make right what Near's body had wronged, L's legs had just moved around the boy, putting him in the most awkward position.

He was between L's legs.

Near wasn't sure how he should react, or if he even should.

By the dim morning light, Near gathered that it was sometime around 7:00 in the morning. Class started in an hour. He had two options,

1. Wake L up.

2. Wait until L wakes up.

Surely this would be a perfectly suitable excuse as to why he was late for class. Nobody would dare challenge the great L. Near decided to take this opportunity and snuggled closer to L.

Besides, it's not everyday that he got to sleep with the worlds best detective.

---

L had always been one to test people. He knew that most humans would not just up and admit to being guilty, at least if they thought they had a chance to get away with whatever they did. L had learned long ago that the easiest way to get information out of someone was to trick them into giving it. L's superior intelligence always gave him an advantage. It was easy to trick someone when they were an idiot.

L wouldn't let Near know it, but he was already wide awake when the boy opened his eyes. He'd been thinking about what Near had said after L woke him up from that horrid nightmare. As the boy slept, he'd formulated a plan. He'd get the truth out of the boy, even without the boy saying a word.

Before Near awoke, L wrapped his legs around him. He knew enough about human psychology that when Near woke up, his reaction to the contact would scream his feelings, although he would be silent.

Near didn't seem to notice L's body wrapped around his when he woke up. Well, he seemed to notice the embrace, but not the rather intimate position that L had entwined them in. L felt kind of bad, practically seducing a child like this. But humans were naturally curious. It was perfectly natural of him to want to know if Near liked him. It's not like if he could just corner the kid and demand an answer, right? Right.

The first thing the small boy tried to do was untangle himself. L had planned ahead for this and tightened his hold.

He felt the instant jump in the boy's heartbeat.

He was either scared or exhilarated.

Near was thinking. About what, L could only guess. He decided to wait to see what Near would do next and then base his move off that.

Having come to a mental conclusion, Near snuggled into L's chest. L smirked slightly.

He had gotten his answer.

---

L glanced at the clock. 7:43 A.M. bold red letters announced. Near had fallen asleep again. He pondered waking the boy up and telling him he needed to get ready for class when the door burst open. Mello marched in, obnoxiously telling Near he had over slept.

However, his voice died out the moment he laid eyes on Near and L.

Eyes wide, Mello just stared. L stared back. Near woke up and rubbed his eyes, but he would probably be staring too, if he were awake enough.

L fought the urge to roll his eyes. _"Don't tell me Mello like me, too." _L wasn't sure if he should be flattered or freaked out by the fact that he was the love interest of 10 year old boys. He decided to stop thinking about it.

Mello's rather shocked expression turned to one of anger.

"Good morning, Near. Ryuuzaki-san"

"Good morning, Mello." L replied pleasantly.

"Good... Morning." Near said, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"If you don't get up soon, you'll be tardy. You've already missed breakfast." Mello hissed, venom dripping from his voice. Near didn't seem to hear the evil in his rivals voice.

"Oh.. Okay." He responded, yawning.

Mello glared at Near again before stalking out of the room.

L gnawed on his thumb, watching as the boy climbed from the bed and grabbed a new pair of white pajamas.

"Mello seemed really angry, didn't he?" L asked, looking at Near with wide eyes.

Near looked at the detective, sleep still glazing his eyes. "Huh?" he asked.

L chuckled to himself. "Not a morning person?"

"Huh?" Near said again, looking at L as if he had just shouted something in Greek. L just shook his head.

L watched as Near left the room, muttering something about changing. L got off the bed and stood in the room, looking around.

There was a stack of puzzles in the corner. On the top he saw a large box that was taped back together. Curious about it, he went over and picked it up.

He recognized it instantly. It was the puzzle he had given Near. He remember Roger telling him that Mello had smashed the box, and he naturally assumed that Near threw it away.

He hadn't, apparently.

He now had another piece of evidence for Near liking him. He stored it away in his mental evidence cabinet.

Setting the box back, he wandered over to his desk.

It was tidy and uncluttered. He had a stack of paper, a computer, and along the back of the desk were an assortment of small toys and Gundam models. He leaned down eye level with one Gundam, and prodded it with his finger.

It had been glued back together many times.

He peered at the other's and saw the same.

What did Near do, make them and then throw them at walls?

L was inspecting Near's book case when the kid in question walked in.

The hair framing his face was damp, his cheeks tinted slightly pink. His new pair of pajamas looked exactly like his old, only there was a small rip on the ankle.

"I'm taking this book." L said, pulling a book off the bottom shelf. Near looked at the book and shrugged.

"Sure." He replied, grabbing his book bag off the floor and stuffing some papers into it.

L followed his out the door and down the hall. Watari was waiting for him by the front door.

"Goodbye, L. Thank you for staying with me."

L just smiled, saying goodbye and hugging Near quickly. Mello raced down the hall, yelling to L about waiting for him, and threw his arms around the detective, hugging him tightly before rushing down the hall with Near right behind him, already late for class.

L stepped outside, shielding his eyes from the sun. Watari followed him to the car, opening the door for his employer before slipping into the front seat and starting the engine, gliding out of the driveway, on their way to the airport.

L stared out the tinted window, watching the scenery go by, but not taking in any of it.

He remembered one of the conversations he'd had with Nears parents murderer.

_"You killed two people about five years ago." L's scrambled voice crackled over the microphone. Lind. L. Tailor laughed._

_"I killed a lot of people five years ago. Care to narrow it down for me?"_

_"Their names were Sean and Willow River. They had a son named Nate."_

_Tailor laughed. It was a cold, sharp, metallic laugh, like a razor blade._

_"Aww, Nate. I remember him. He was the only victim that got away from me."_

_"How did that happen?" L asked._

_"Well, first the stupid bastard fooled me into thinking he was dead, then jumped up and ran away. I couldn't have some kid ratting me out, so I followed him. Man, that kid was fast. Then he broke his ankle. I remember, he crawled up to the road. He seemed so hopeful. Then I was about to stab him through the heart when that wretched car drove up and I dropped it into his thigh." _

_"Why didn't you kill him?"_

_"What? You really think I would take the time to grab a knife, dislodge it from a hysterical five year old's leg, and then take the time to force it through his ribs and into his heart _while_ some asshole is about to run me over, his headlights showing every feature and detail of my face? I may be a serial killer, L, but I'm not a moron." _

_"You have a point there, Tailor." L mused, seeing the point the man had made. "Did you know then that that kid would be the end of you__?"_

_"Oh, yes. I knew from the second I laid eyes on him. He was genius."_

_L was quiet. Tailor laughed. "I can't believe I was brought down by a five year old kid. How is he now?"_

_"I cannot disclose that information."_

_"Oh, come on, I just want to know if he's scarred for life, rocking back and forth in a corner muttering to himself."_

_L was silent. Tailor just stared at the computer, smirking. "Just tell me how my only living victim is doing." he whispered._

_L contemplated what he should do. He knew he shouldn't, but at the same time it seemed okay._

_"Of course he's scarred for life." L replied, his garbled voice emotionless. "But he's fine. He is functioning at a way above average level, and wants to become a detective."_

_Tailor nodded, still smiling._

_"That's great." He said. "I'd hate for the only one to survive me to be dead inside."_

_L cut the line soon after that._

"Ryuuzaki-san?" Watari asked again. L looked at the front of the car.

"Yes?" he wondered.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Tailor."

Watari "hmm"ed and the conversation ended there.

He remembered something else Tailor had said.

_"Tell Nate I'm sorry."_

"_For what?"_ L sat, wondering. _"For killing his parents, or not killing him?"_

L didn't know the answer, and he was afraid he would never get one. Everything about this boy was getting more confusing by the day.

He was L's personal puzzle, dropping pieces for L to place and figure out.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 7 is up a little more than a week after the 6th! Rejoice!**

**This chapter was fun to write in class. People kept looking over my shoulder, asking me what I was writing. I was like "You really don't want to know." It's not like they would get it anyway.**

**Everything past Near's dream was spontaneous, completely unplanned, and is hoping very much that you like it. The whole "L testing Near" thing was random and thought up while typing. Eww, L seems very OOC to me. Eww. TT.TT **

**Thank you all for reviewing! Internet huggles for each and every reader! I am beyond ecstatic. I hope you like this chapter ****as much as you liked the others.**

**-Hybrid**


	8. Chapter 8

The day was over. Near sat in his room, like he always did in the evening, gazed out the window, and sighed. L had left that morning, and now he missed him terribly. He didn't think that he would be so lonely.

Near yawned. Life was so much more difficult with L in it. How was he supposed to know that he would like him so much?

Near got up and walked to his bed. He hadn't touched it since L and he had slept in it together. He smiled, the memory was so sweet. He lay on te bed and buried his face in the pillow, inhaling deeply. It still smelt of L. With a smile, he snuggled deeper. L smelled like sugar with a slight hint of strawberries. He remembered the first time he'd met L. At that time, being nearly force fed cake was so shocking he thought he would die. Even now, months later, he could still taste the saccharine treat. He wondered if L would take them back there next time he visited.

Gradually, Near's eyelids grew heavier, and he drifted off to sleep.

When L arrived the next time, Spring was well under way. It was nearly Summer when the detective showed up, unannounced.

It was a fine day, and Near was in a playroom, building a city of cards. The boy reached for a thin playing card, and with delicate, precise fingers, he gently went to place the card upon the elaborate stack.

Before he could place the card, however, long, thin, pale fingers gripped the card and pulled it away from him.

With a small gasp, Near looked up to see L placed the card in a different area. The castle shivered, but stayed put.

"Where you were going to put it," L whispered, his breath hot on Nears ear. "Would offset the balance and the whole thing would fall over."

"O-oh... Thank you."

"No problem." L said, leaning back up. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine. You?" Near asked, twirling his hair.

"I've been better." L admitted, sitting down beside the boy.

"I think we all have." Near replied, pulling card, a King of Hearts, out of the tower. The intricate tower collapsed, cards flying in every direction. Near looked at the one he now held.

"Why did you do that?" L asked, fishing in his pocket for a cherry flavored sucker.

"So I can rebuild it." Near said, already rebuilding the tower.

"Why would you want to do that?" L inquired through a mouthful of sugary goodness.

"If I do it enough, I'll know it by heart." Near placed another card on the tower for emphasize.

Near was reaching for more of the scattered cards when L removed the candy from his mouth, leaned forward, and blew the few standing cards over.

The cards once again flew around, some floating softly to the ground, others falling with a mastered grace and a quiet _plok_ as they landed. Near watched, wide eyed, as the cards  
formed messy piles, dominating a part of the floor.

L leaned back and placed the red candy back in his mouth. "Lets go find Mello." He said.

Near glanced back at the abandoned deck before getting to his stockinged feet and following L out of the room.

They were at the end of the hardwood hall when they heard the yelling. It was two boys, coming from up ahead. They seemed to be having fun.

As they neared Mello's room, they could make out a few of the words, but it was mostly laughs and screams. Then, from Mello's open door, an auburn haired boy burst from the room and started running toward the pair walking up the hall.

Around his neck hung a pair of orange tinted goggles. He was wearing the most fluorescent yellow shirt that L had ever seen. It hurt his eyes just to look at it. Poking precariously from one of his many pockets was a handheld video game, threatening to fall out at any moment.

He was laughing, running at L and Near with his head turned, most likely so he could watch Mello. In his hand he held an unopened chocolate bar. L watched the quickly approaching boy curiously.

"Matt!" Mello yelled, running to his door. "Get back here!"

"_So this is the infamous matt."_ L thought to himself. Matt, who had no idea who he was about to run into someone, let alone that they were there at all, just kept running. Only when he saw the look of terror on Mello's face did he turn around.

He only saw the two people for a split second before running right into them.

L had side stepped the boy and caught him around the torso, sparing all three of them quite of bit of pain.

"Oof!" Matt gasped, dropping the chocolate. He looked up at L, his eyes on fire with childish defiance and anger. He opened his mouth to speak when Mello came running down the hall.

"L!" He yelled.

Matt, L's arm still around his stomach, stared at L with wide eyes. L looked back emotionlessly.

"L?" Matt breathed.

"It's nice to finally make your acquaintance."

Matt continued to stare at L, awestruck. L released the boy and opened his arms to Mello.

"L! I'm so sorry!"

"Nobody was hurt." L replied, letting go of Mello and turning slightly to Matt. "Right?"

"I-I'm fine." Matt stuttered, still a little dazed.

L bent down and picked up the abandoned bar of chocolate and gave it back to the blonde.

"I guess I'll be going now..." Matt said, pointing down the hall. L nodded his goodbyes, where as Mello waved vigorously. The kid half shuffled, half walked down the hallway, until hewalked down the stairs and out of sight.

L turned back to his possible successors.

"Well then, what would you two like to do today?"

Mello opened his mouth, but Near was faster.

"Cake." He said, "I'd like to go out for cake."

Mello flashed Near a quick glare. "Sounds good to me." He said with a smile. "But after that we have to do something I want to do."

They were in the car for only a short period of time when they arrived at the cute cake shop. Near felt sick from the butterflies of anticipation, restless in his stomach.

He climbed out of the car after Mello, waiting patiently for L to unfold his legs and emerge from the car after them. Back hunched, he followed the two into the shop, left unvisited by  
them since the day they met, months ago.

Mello ran up to the counter and eagerly ordered the triple chocolate fudge cake.

L ordered his beloved strawberry, and they both looked over at Near expectantly. Near faltered under their gaze.

"I... Uh..." he murmured, looking down.

"Strawberry?" L asked, his smile evident in his voice.

Near nodded.

Once again, like last time, they sat down, cake slices in hand. Unlike last time, Near started eating his confection quickly.

He was watching the two sitting in front of him, seeing but not registering. Hearing but not remembering. He was too lost in thought, thinking about the last time they were here. He reminisced about the warm feeling that spread through his body. The pounding of his heart. The fluttering in his stomach.

He was only half paying attention to Mello and L. They seemed to be deep in conversation. What were they talking about? He didn't know. All he knew was that L was pointing his fork at Mello, trying to emphasize a point. Upon his steel utensil was some cake– cake that Mello was eying hungrily.

Point made, L was about to take the cake and eat it when Mello opened his mouth wide and devoured the strawberry flavored delicacy.

L stared wide eyed as Mello released the fork and swallowed the light pink cake. He licked some of the frosting from his lips.

"Mmm..." he hummed, a light blush adorning his cheeks. "Good."

L blinked. "Very." He said.

Mello flashed Near a triumphant glance. Near swallowed his angry jealousy and did all he could to keep himself from punching the smirk off Mello's face.

Instead, he snaked his fork over to Mello's cake and shaved off a slice. He stuck the cake and fork back in his mouth before Mello could protest.

"Hey!" Mello exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing?"

Near did his best to not cringe when the chocolate invaded his taste buds. This was, and he believed to ever be, the most chocolate laden thing he'd ever eaten. With a gulp, the  
creamy confection slid down his throat and he licked the fudge off his fork before smiling at Mello.

"Since you two were sharing, I felt that I should be a part of it too."

He smirked at Mello.

"_Take that, bastard."_ Near mentally taunted.

Neither boy saw it, they were too caught up in their silent skirmish to notice, but a small smile had crept across L's face.

"Where else would you two like to go before I must leave?" L inquired as they finished their cake and left the shop.

"How about the toy store?" Mello suggested, as sweet as the chocolate he regularly consumed.

L looked at Near, and after a moment of hesitation, the boy gave a small nod of approval.

L told Watari where to go, and they arrived at the toy store sooner then expected, as least for Near. The troupe piled out of the car and into the store.

L looked around uneasily. The store was echoing with children's laughter and shrieks of joy. Exasperated mothers vainly told their kids to behave. There were so many people, so  
much noise.

Near didn't seem to be enjoying himself either.

L could tell that if he were younger, and if L was his mother, he would be clinging to his pant leg and hiding from the other children.

"Go find something you want." L urged.

Near looked up at him fearfully before nodding and scurrying off.

L hated to admit it, but the boy pulled at his heart strings.

Near wandered through the high shelves, scared that the numerous toys would topple over and crush him.

Shrugging off his childish fears, he hurried to the aisle with the toy Gundams he was so fond of.

He saw the picture at the end of the aisle. The last one in a series he was collecting. The last one he needed. He rushed down the aisle, searching every shelf intently.

He came up empty handed.

He came to the conclusion that the model was on a higher shelf, one he couldn't see, let alone reach.

Backing up, even standing on the bottom the shelf behind him to gain himself a few inches, he cursed his shortness as he stretched out his body to see the shelves above him.

Near was a small boy– 4' 2" and 40 pounds. He could barely see the bottom of the boxes. But then his eyes found it. Red letters proudly proclaiming the words he so desperately wanted to see.

Now was the obstacle of how to get it.

Near was just contemplating climbing up the shelves when L appeared.

"Ryuuzaki!" He gasped. L walked over to him. "Can you help me get that down?"

L looked at the shelf, scanning the boxes for the one Near wanted.

"Which one?"

Near pointed in the box's general direction, and once again L looked for it.

"I'll just pick you up," he said, "and you can grab the one you want."

Before Near could say anything, L bent over and took the boy in his arms, hoisting him up so he was level with the shelf. Almost instantly Near reacted in a way L wasn't expecting.

He inhaled sharply, grabbing onto L's arms painfully tight. His eyes were wide, his mouth open in a silent scream.

"Put me down!" he gasped.

L didn't now how to react to the withering kid in his arms. He considered his first instinct– dropping him, but realized that would only make matters worse. Instead, he brought Near closer to his chest, holding the boy tightly as he lowered him slowly to the floor. Near clung to L's arms, his knuckles turning white with the force he was using to hold onto L's wrist.

"Near?" L asked, "Are you okay?"

"I-I..." Near stuttered, breathing hard.

"Will you be alright?" L asked again, kindly stroking the boys arm in an attempt to calm him down. Near nodded.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I have a desperate fear of heights."

"It's not your fault." L murmured.

Obsidian eyes met with translucent blue, damp with scared tears left unshed.

"I didn't know you were afraid of heights– I'm sorry." L appeased, breaking the eye contact and standing up for the model.

"Yeah." Near said, wiping his eyes. "If I'm up high for too long, I lose consciousness."

L made a noise of understanding and grabbed the box. He handed it to Near and made his way out of the aisle. Near basked in the happiness the toy filled him with before following L.

For the third time that day, the three sat in the car, heading back to the orphanage. There was no need to fill the silence that hung over them. It wasn't awkward and suffocating.

Near hugged the boxes to chest, staring out the window. Beside him sat L, staring at the roof of the vehicle as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Mello sat on the other  
side of L, quietly eating a chocolate bar as he too watched the scenery go by.

It ended as all of L's visits ended. They stopped. Got out of the car, Mello hugged L first, then Near, then L got back in his car and drove away.

Near walked back into the brick building. He was just inside the door when he started coughing.

The fit passed quickly enough and he started to walk again when he had to stop for another round of coughing.

"_Odd," _he thought,_ "I must be coming down with something."_

He continued on his way to his bedroom. He set his two new boxes– the Gundam and a puzzle– on his desk a pondered which one he should start first.

He was reaching for the Gundam when he began to cough again. He brought a hand to his mouth, hacking into his cuffed palm.

He tasted it before he felt it.

The metallic tang.

Blood rose in his throat and he coughed it up and into his pale hand. He stared wide eyed at the crimson mess. he didn't have time to think about it before another wave of convulsions  
racked his body.

"_Okay,_" Near thought, turning to the slightly open door. "_It can't be _too _bad. I don't feel any excruciating pain, and it's just a little blood. I'll just walk down to the infirmary, and they'll do... something. Worse case scenario is that I'm sent to the hospital fighting for my life._"

Decision made, Near stumbled to the door.

More coughing, more blood.

Near sank to his knees, his body shaking violently.

He looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood. It stained the front of his shirt, rolled lazily down his wrists and was undoubtedly smeared across the light skin of his face,  
his lips and chin dyed ruby. There was_ so much _blood. It was _everywhere._

He heard someone talking. "Good _God_, Near. Die already. You're hacking is pissing me off."

Near watched through tear blurred eyes as the partially open door swung open. He saw Mello, angry at first, then shocked, lastly, scared.

"Near?!" Mello gasped, taking a step back before rushing forward.

"Near? Near! What's happening? Near?!" Mello yelled, distressed.

Near coughed again. Was there more blood? He couldn't tell.

"_Oh God, I'm going to die."_

He was vaguely aware of Mello screaming shrilly, of the blondes hands on him, holding him. The wetness on his face from the blood and tears. Who's tears? His or Mello's? Was Mello crying?

"Roger! Roger, Near's dying!"

"_Just as I thought," _Near said to himself, _"this will be the end of me."_

Then, the safety of blackness, his world going dark as he willingly forgot the blood and coughing and phased into the nothingness.

* * *

**I HATE this chapter. I had writers block for most of it X(. There are so many things that I just don't like about it. One: It took me FOREVER to update. Two: I think it's poorly written. Three: IT' SHORT!! UGH!**

**I do, however, have an excuse for it lateness. We sent my computer back so they could fix it. They said we'd get it back in two to three weeks.**

**It's been five.**

**I have to fight my Father and my mom for the "main" computer, so I rarely got on to type. Ugh. Just ugh. I'm sorry for this chapter. Oh so sorry.**

**Oh noes! Poor Near! What is happening?! Well, you'll find out next time! Which, thankfully, will be up much sooner than this one was. All I have to do is get over this stupid writers block. **

**Now, for things I couldn't put in the story!**

**-Yes, I've made Near have a mortal fear of heights. **"But Hybrid, what about chapter five when he was on the swings? He went really high then!" **Yes, I know that. Unfortunately, when I wrote that part, I forgot. So, the new reason that Near passed out that night was from his fear. The original unwritten reason was that he got really, really cold. **"But why would he get on the swing in the first place?" **Because he wanted to pass out? Because he's secretly masochistic? He was trying to wash out his feeling of loneliness with fear? I don't know, use your imagination. **"Why did L pick him up? L wouldn't pick him up!!" **I thought it would be cute. Don't hate me.**

**Anyway, (Now that I'm done talking to myself) leave a review or two! Tell me if you're liking the story, if it's starting to suck more, or whatever. And why don't you go ahead and take a guess at what happens in the next chapter?**

**  
**

**-Hybrid **


	9. Chapter 9

**I can't take it anymore. Mello is now officially 12, Matt is 11 and Near is 10. I'm changing the first chapter when I have a chance. No, the birthdays are still off, but at least their ages are accurate. **

* * *

Mello sat shakily in the waiting room. Roger paced by worriedly. 

"Mello?" He asked, "Are you okay?"

Mello just stared blankly at the ground.

Roger sat down beside him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Again, he was greeted with silence.

Roger sighed and stood up to pace some more. The glass doors opened and L and Watari raced into the waiting room.

"Ryuuzaki!" Mello gasped and jumped up. He ran to the older detective, wrapping his thin arms around his waist. L put his arms around the boy, trying comfort him.

"I-I was so scared!" He sobbed. "There was blood everywhere! He was covered in it!"

"It's okay." L cooed. "It seemed like a lot more blood than it really was. It was really barely any."

Mello didn't respond. He just cried in L's cotton shirt.

Moments later, a doctor came through the large wooden doors separating the waiting room from the actual hospital and walked calmly over to the small group. He was older, his dark hair streaked with grey. His laughed-lined faced pulled into a kind smile.

Roger looked at the man expectantly.

"He's going to be fine."

The words were like a blessing to the four. The air became lighter, the fluorescent lighting a little brighter.

"Oh thank God." Roger hissed.

"See?" L asked, looking down at Mello. "I told you he'd be fine."

"Yeah." Mello said with a smile, wiping tears from his cheeks.

"You can see him if you want." The doctor continued. The group silently agreed and followed the doctor down through the wooden doors and down the hall.

They entered a room that was an exact replica of the others. On the single white bed in the room, Near lay beneath the lone cotton blanket. He looked even paler against the sterile white that was the room, seeming to almost blend into his surroundings. His small hands clutched the blanket, his light eyes opened when they entered.

"Near..." Mello breathed and ran to the boy's side. Near opened his sleep glazed eyes and smiled meekly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mello interrupted him.

"I was so scared." He said, his voice trembling ever so slightly, his hands holding onto the railing of Nears cot. "I thought you were going to die."

Near released the blanket and covered Mello's hand with his own. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Mello's eyes widened. A rosy blush tinted his slightly tan cheeks. He looked shocked, scared... embarrassed?

Simultaneously, he bowed his head to cover his pinkish cheeks with his blonde hair, and ripped his hand away from Near. Turning on his heels, he left without saying goodbye, muttering something about waiting in the car.

Near watched his rival go, an undisguised look of sadness and confusion etched onto his face.

Roger stepped closer to Near and smiled quickly. "Why didn't you tell us you were sick?" he asked.

"I didn't know." Near replied. "I've gotten a cold a bunch of times, but I've never started coughing up blood."

Roger brushed a strand of white hair from Near's face. "Fine, but be more careful in the future, okay? I thought we were going to lose you."

Then he bid farewell to L and Watari and left the room, following Mello back out to the car.

Now it was just L and Near. Well, Watari was still there, but he really wasn't a commanding presence. In any case, L dismissed him to wait in the hall. The doctor informed him that Near could go back to the orphanage tomorrow after a good nights rest.

The doctor left the room and was closing the door when he suddenly ran back in.

"I'm sorry, but are you his legal guardian?"

L stared back at the man with his owl eyes. "No," he said finally, "He just left. His name's Roger and he runs Wammy's House Orphanage."

The doctor frowned. "Oh. Okay then, I guess I'll just call him tomorrow."

He thanked L, wished him a goodnight and left. When the door closed, L turned back to Near, a look a concern adorning his features.

"How do you feel?"

"Tired."

"Understandable."

L pulled up a chair and sat down beside Near.

"I... want to talk to you, but I'm so sleepy." Near said, yawning.

L shrugged, biting his thumb.

"That's fine." he said

Near smiled. "Thanks." He closed his eyes and snuggled into the surrounding warmth of pillows and blankets. "Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams." L replied.

L sat, perched in the grey chair, for a few more moments, watching Near fall asleep. When he was sure that the boy was no longer conscious, he got up and lightly kissed his cheek before leaving.

Near's eyes blinked open in time to see L leaving the room. He watched the door shut and tried to concentrate on the feeling spreading through his body. Had he imagined it, or had L really kissed him? Unfortunately, he couldn't focus his thoughts well enough to come up with an answer before he fell asleep.

L joined up with Watari, and together they walked back to the car.

"I know I'm in no place to say this," Watari stared, keeping a few steps behind his employer, "But the relationship you're forming with this boy is dangerous."

L bowed his head enough to hide his eyes behind a curtain of raven locks.

"I know." He said, walking through the glass doors and into the frosty night. "That's why I'm doing it."

---

As assured, Near went home the next day. He was thrown into his bedroom, the lights were dimmed and he was told to sleep. Apparently, he had something called tuberculosis. The doctor was shocked . He said this was a pretty advanced case considering that was his first episode of coughing up blood.

"But I don't want to stay in bed!" Near whined, throwing back the covers. "I feel fine."

"Near..." the caretaker complained, taking a step forward.

"So I have some blood in my lungs. Oh well! That's no reason to not let me go to class!"

"Near, you're delirious." The caretaker said, gently, but forcefully, pushing Near back on the bed. "Just go to sleep, okay?"

"No." Near said, sitting back up. "I don't want to stay here!"

"You have a fever." she said, putting her palm to his forehead. "You're burning up!"

"I don't care!" Near protested, "Let me go!"

The caretaker was about to give up when Mello marched into the room.

"Look," he said, looking away from Near almost abashed, "if you care so much about missing class, then at the end of the day when I'm doing my homework, I'll teach you what we learned."

"Really?" Near asked, wide eyed.

"No," Mello replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I thought it would be funny to lie to you." He rolled his eyes. "_Yes_. I'll do it if you don't piss me off."

"Mello!" the caretaker scolded, "Watch your mouth!"

Mello rolled his eyes again, and left the room. As he walked out of the door, Near heard him say, "Get some rest, idiot."

He thought he heard something more, but decided that it was something cruel and mean like most of Mello's comments. Ignoring it, he laid back down. The caretaker sighed, told him to get better, and left.

Near didn't fall asleep immediately. Instead, he lay awake and thought about his life. More precisely, how much he hated his life. He'd always been a sickly child, and he despised it. He hated having to be cared for, hated being useless.

As Near fell asleep, he couldn't help but remember a vague memory that had been buried all day.

L kissing him.

Near placed a hand to his cheek, his pale skin aflame. Had it really happened, or had he imagined it? Oh how he longed that L returned his feelings.

He closed his eyes and hoped that his dreams were good.

A few days later, Near sat on his bed, pen in hand, papers strewn across the bed below him. Mello sat beside him, eating chocolate and teaching Near the lessons he had learned that day. However, Near wasn't paying that much attention to foreign language. Instead, a different subject was floating around in his brain.

He decided to ask Mello what had been bothering him.

"Hey, Mello?" Near asked.

"What?" Mello said, "Do you not get this? I'm sorry, but I can't make it any simpler than this."

"No," Near responded quickly, "I was just wondering why you're doing this."

"Doing what?' Mello inquired around the bar of chocolate.

Near looked down at his homework. "Being nice to me." His voice was small, quiet.

Then room became still, the barely inaudible words hanging heavily above them.

Mello didn't respond right away.

Near was starting to think that it had been a mistake, asking that. But it had been a question that was always there, since the morning Mello said he'd help him. It wasn't wrong to be curious, right?

Finally, Mello spoke.

"Near..." he began, breaking the fragile silence. "When I saw you that day, coughing up blood on the floor, I thought you were gong to die."

Near heard him sigh. Mello seemed so mature, it was odd, scary almost.

"And right then, I thought it was my fault."

Near looked up when he said that.

"_Mello thought it was his fault?_ _He blamed himself?_"

"You are the only thing standing in my way of becoming L. But Near, I don't want you to die. You give me a reason to strive to better myself."

"But if I fall behind, you'd be able to do better than me. If you didn't help me, you would know all this–" Near made a small gesture at Mello's lesson, "–and I wouldn't."

"The next time I beat you, I want it to be because I became smarter than you. I want to challenge you at your best and prevail. I don't want to win just because you were sick." he flashed Near a quick smile. "Anyway, do you get this?"

"Yeah," Near replied, his eyes smiling, "I get it."

---

Near started taking medicine for his disease. The doctor told Roger that he had had it for some time, that his frequent colds and chest pain were from his prolonged illness. The doctor was afraid that it may have spread into his nervous system, considering that his current state of body matched the symptoms of that as well, but Roger said that it was something else. What that something else is, Near doesn't know. As curious as he may be, Roger said they'd talk about it later.

Roger allowed Near to go back to class. His first day back his teachers seemed a little fidgety, kind of like, "This kid was dying, and I didn't know." Near wanted to tell them that it wasn't their fault, that he didn't know either.

As he entered his foreign language class, the teacher stopped calling roll and looked at the small kid.

"Near? What are you doing here?"

"Roger told me I could go back to class. I'm okay."

"Well," his teacher said, "We have a test today, but since you weren't here, you can study and do it later."

"No, I am confident that I'll do fine."

"But Near, you haven't been in class all week!"

"I'm quite aware of that." Near said, an edge of nastiness to his voice. "Please sir, I insist, I would like to take the test." His voice was softer, more obedient.

The teacher looked at Near hopelessly. "Fine." he said, waving his hand, "Take your seat."

Near sat down in an empty desk beside Mello. He looked over at the blonde and nodded slightly. Mello nodded in return, and soon the teacher passed out the test.

"Write the english translation of each word." the paper read, "1. Goddag." Near scribbled down the answer. "Hello."

Near was one of the last to leave the classroom.

"Near," the teacher called.

Near looked back from his spot in the doorway.

"How do you think you did?"

"Great. I believe it will be another 100."

"Really?"

"Definitely."

Then Near left without another word.

The next day the teacher passed back the tests.

"Near, the child prodigy, has done it again."

The kids looked at Near expectantly.

"Yes, another 100 on a section he didn't even study." He announced, passing Near his test. "He really is a child prodigy." His eyes fell on Mello, a sly smile on his face. Mello looked away.

"Anyway, on to today's lesson..."

---

A letter came for both of the possible successors, this time individually. Roger found the boys and gave them the envelopes.

Near ripped open the white envelope and pulled out the papers from within. The letter was pretty normal, "How are you? Is your illness doing any better?"

He was disappointed that the letter wasn't more personal. Was Mello's as distant and rehearsed? But then he remembered the kiss.

Blushing slightly, he covered his cheek with his hand. He was still uncertain if the kiss had really happened. He had been so tired, even drugged maybe. What if he had just been delusional?

Well then, he'd just have to get another kiss, one to verify it.

His idea was dangerous, yes, but it would have to happen.

L could reject him.

Or he could kiss him back.

Nevertheless, he was going to kiss him.

Mind made up, he refolded the letter and ticked it into his dresser drawer. Then, returning to his spot on the floor, he continued to glue together his model, thinking of the best way to get what he wanted from the older man. Did he just throw his arms around his neck and kiss him? Did he make it look like an accident? Was he supposed to act scared afterwards? Surprised? Shy? Should he do it with other people around? Or when he and L are alone?

Near was still in deep concentration when Mello came in. Near head the door softly click shit, and bare feet walking almost noiselessly to the side of the bed Near crouched behind.

"Near?" Mello asked cautiously.

"Yes?

"Can I hang out?"

Near momentarily stopped glueing before quickly regaining any slip in composure.

"Why would you want to?"

"Matt has detention for playing games in study hall."

"I'd prefer if you didn't."

"But that isn't a no?"

"I suppose it isn't."

"So I'm staying."

"Even though I don't want you to."

Mello sank to the floor beside Near, pulled out some chocolate and began to eat it.

The atmosphere was awkward. Mello ate the candy while Near silently worked. As Mello opened his mouth to say something– anything– to break the awkward silence, the quiet was disturbed.

By Near's growling stomach.

Mello stopped mid-chew. Near's hand hovered, the brush he was using to apply the glue still gripped in his pale fingers. His embarrassingly loud stomach finally quieted down, leaving the room just as awkward as before, if not more.

Then Mello's face split into a wide grin. "Hungry?" he asked, laughing.

Near brushed the glue onto the dark blue arm, and stuck it to the shoulder. "Obviously." he retorted.

Mello chuckled to himself and a crack resonated through the room as he snapped his remaining chocolate in half and offered it to Near.

Near looked first at the chocolate, then at Mello, before reaching out a hesitant hand to take the rich delicacy, afraid the Mello would snatch it away and laugh at Near's stupidity.

"Thank you." he whispered, setting a chocolate square on his tongue. He enclosed the cocoa in the prison of his teeth.

"I barely see you eat." Mello commented. "Are you anorexic?"

"No." Near managed, his answer muffled by the melting chocolate.

"It'd be funny if you were." Mello laughed. "Then we'd be rivals with competing eating disorders."

Time stopped.

Near's eyes widened as he stared at Mello, shocked and speechless. Mello let out a small gasp and slapped his hand over his mouth, an "oh shit" look adorning his features.

Near swallowed the treat.

"Mello, are you bulimic?"

"No." he said quickly. Too quickly.

"Lying to yourself is as bad as lying to me. Talk to me." Near begged.

"Don't tell anyone." Mello pleaded, looking deep into Near's eyes. Near saw fear in Mello's eyes, and he wondered what Mello saw in his.

"I wont." Near promised.

Mello sighed. "It's not like I'm worried about my weight..." He started. "I just.. Sometimes, I make myself puke."

"Why?"

Mello looked away. "Reasons. Like life. It just... sometimes makes me feel better."

Near nodded. "Like you're in control. Something in your life is hectic, and you can't control it, not at all. So bulimia is like an escape; something you know you rule over perfectly." Near looked at Mello with scrutinizing eyes. He noticed that the boy had been losing weight. "So in a sense, you do care about your physical appearance. But you do know, Mello, that you're not controlling your disorder; It's controlling you."

Mello got up. At first Near thought he had offended him. But then the boy looked at him, a understanding look in his eyes. He didn't say anything, emotions dancing and mixing behind his eyes.

Sadness, wanting, denial, anger, understanding, pain, confusion, fear.

Then Mello left the room.

Near watched him go, and the climbed into bed, abandoning his model and finishing his chocolate, thoughts he didn't want to think swirling around his head in a mess.

"_What ever could be tearing Mello up like that?_"

* * *

**Oh shit**. 

**I made Mello bulimic.**

**Please don't hit me.**

**Now, I origninally had this whole big thing explaining everything up there, but it failed to save -.- So here, I'll shorten it for you. I made Mello bulimic for reasons I can't give out yet, but you will find out soon enough. I chose bulimia for this because of a memoir I've been reading about bulimia and anorexia, and I've just finished a part in the book that is pretty much a lengthy, much more well written version of what Near said to Mello about control. I'm trying to build new personalities and pasts for the characters that aren't over used and expected. But hopefully believable. It's believable, right?  
**

**This also leads us as to why Mello isn't OMFG HATE towards Near. I've decided Mello doesn't hate him yet. Yet.  
**

**Anyway, the next chapter is Mello and Matt's. So stick around-- you might find it worth your while!**

**So, leave a review telling me what you think! I hope you like this chapter, because I think it's turning into a soap opera :D (Ugh...)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Mello rushed out of his rival's room and into the hallway. He was surprised to find Matt waiting for him.

"M-Matt?" he stuttered. "I thought you had detention!"

"I did" he said over the beeps of his video game. "But I ditched."

Mello nodded. He'd done it before.

They walked back to Mello's room. It was quiet, but not awkward. It was never awkward between them.

Matt collapsed on the bed, and Mello followed suit, dropping down beside him. Mello stared at the ceiling while Matt continued to play the game.

"You like him, don't you."

Okay, sometimes it was awkward.

"Who?" Mello asked, his heart rate quickening.

"Near."

Mello rolled over, hoisting himself up using his elbow, his face set into an evil glare.

"I do not!" he protested.

"I mean, I don't care. I just thought that you would tell me instead of lying to your best friend." Matt countered, his face reflecting nothing more than boredom.

"Matt!" Mello hissed, "I do _not_ like him!"

Matt turned to look at Mello, a veil of sorrow over his eyes. Mello leaned back, away from Matt.

"Stop lying, Mello."

Mello swallowed. "I..."

Matt looked away and Mello silently sighed in relief. He felt better now that Matt, although his gaze soft, not necessarily penetrating, and disrupted by a pair of purple goggles, had looked away.

"You like him." Matt said again.

"I do." Mello replied.

It was quiet once again. The only sound was the clock ticking. Neither boy had to voice what was being thought. That Mello liked him as more than a friend.

- - -

The days passed, and the weather continued to warm. Mello spent more time outside. Near, however, stayed indoors, shying away from the windows. Today. He sat under a desk, building a Lego fortress up around him. The desk was long, spanning the length, and connected to, the wall.

All the chairs had pushed been out from under the computer table and were stacked neatly in the corner of the room. The Lego wall was built up in front of the desk, enclosing Near on five side, the walls on either side and behind him, the desk above him, the Lego's in front of him, blocking out the world. Windows big enough for Near to put both hands through were spaced evenly throughout the color-coordinated structure, letting in sunlight and peeks of the inside. Lego men and woman fought to the death on ledges and balconies, the plastic people dangling enemies out of the windows, threatening them with death.

Near the wall, a segment of the Lego wall was detached. His own secret door, only big enough for him.

As Near sat in the dark, he realized he needed to use the bathroom. Pushing gently on the "door," he let himself out and into the blinding light. Straightening his pajamas, he walked briskly through the empty halls, on his way to the restroom. He pushed opened the door and took a few steps into the bathroom before he stopped.

He heard retching coming from the stall farthest from the door.

He quietly let the door close behind him. Slowly, he crept along the tiles and to the stall. From under the door he saw two bare feet, covered slightly by black pants. Near stood, staring at the feet as the boy got up off his knees and to the feet Near had been watching. He flushed the toilet, turned, and opened the door.

Mello's eyes were red and watery. A few stray tears had escaped his emerald eyes. He stopped.

Near looked up at him.

He looked down at Near.

And they both knew they had to talk.

After the blonde had washed his hands and face, the two boys sank to the ground beside the sinks. Near sat as he usually did, his knee near his face. Mello spread his legs, sinking down and looking deflated.

"So," he sighed. He knew Near was going to ask him questions. He knew he was going to answer them truthfully, whether he wanted to or not. He knew he was going to get closer to the younger boy.

"How long has this been going on?"

"A few weeks."

"How long." Near repeated. Mello scoffed.

"Three and a half weeks."

"Do you think about purging after you eat?"

"Not all the time."

"Mello..."

"Okay, okay." the blonde said, blatantly looking away from his temporary counselor. "_Usually_ I don't, but there are rare occasions."

"Why? I thought you didn't care about your physical appearance."

"When I've had a especially bad day, I can't wait to puke."

Near paused. "Why do you do this?"

Mello thought about giving Near some vague, smart-alec answer, but decided against it. He was trying to help him, after all.

"Because I'm an orphan. Because my life is hectic and I don't want to deal with it. Because I like someone who doesn't, and will never, like me. Because bulimia and the pain it causes offers me an escape. When I have my fingers down my throat or my head in a toilet, I don't have to think." Mello choked out, keeping back tears that were threatening to overflow. He brushed his hand across the outside of his thigh when he mentioned pain. Near didn't let this small movement go unnoticed.

"Mello, have you been cutting yourself?"

Mello swallowed, looking straight ahead.

"Once." he said, his voice thick. One lone tear escaped and traveled down his cheek.

"Mello..." Near said softly, his eyes wide with worry.

Mello hastily wiped away the tear, sniffling quietly to himself. He was going to leave when he felt the light grip on his arm, keeping him where he was. Mello looked over at Near.

Near stared up at Mello with unreadable eyes. He was holding onto Mello's arm, his other hand raised, as if unsure what he should do with it. Slowly, he crawled onto Mello's lap, timid and skittish as if he were afraid the blonde would kick him off. Mello had half a mind to do so.

But he didn't.

Instead, he let Near wrap his arms around his neck and settle comfortably on the blondes chest.

"N-Near?!" He gasped, finally able to speak.

"It's okay." the other whispered, warm breath ghosting the skin of Mello's neck. "I know how you feel."

Mello gulped and found he could no longer hold back his tears. Tentatively at first, he embraced Near back, his arms settling around the boys lithe body. When he heard the lighter haired boy crying, he held him closer, hugging him tighter, and knew that he wasn't alone.

- - -

Near walked down the hallway by himself. His tears had dried, but his eyes were still red and puffy. He hated crying.

After Mello and his' sobfest, Near forced Mello to show him his self inflicted injuries. They weren't too deep. They were scared cuts. Cuts that were a question. A question of something new and frightening. They were just a call from a boy who didn't know what he was doing.

Mello had promised that he'd stop the bulimia and the self injury. He had also mentioned Near's eating habits, bringing up the possibility of anorexia and turning the tables on Near. Mello left after Near assured him that he wasn't starving himself. He heard the blonde meet with Matt in the hall and waited for silence before he emerged and made his way to his Lego fort.

He walked into the room housing his great building, but found that he no longer wanted to play in the hideout. Instead, he gathered up a handful Lego men and went to his room.

He dumped the plastic people on the desk and sat in the lone chair in the room. He began rummaging around in the drawer for what he was looking for. When he found the item he had sought, a box cutter, he set it too on the desk and began to roll up his sleeves. He carefully removed the blade from it's casing.

Taking the razor in one hand and a Lego man in the other, he began to carefully scrape away the paint, mindful of not gouging the plastic.

When all four Legos were stripped of paint, he reached his model paint and brush and got to work precisely decorating the toys to his  
design.

The first one got blonde hair and black clothes. The second one red hair, goggles and a stripped shirt. The third one had black hair, a white shirt and baggy blue jeans. The last one he made had white hair and white clothes.

The people he knew best-- Mello, Matt, L and himself.

He set the repainted Lego's in a line, gently blowing on them in hopes that the paint would dry faster.

After awhile, he picked up the L one and placed in directly in front of him. The he grabbed the one representing him and set it beside L's, all the while narrating mentally as he went.

"_I like L. I doubt I can ever have L._" Near grabbed the Mello Lego. He placed in the same line as his and L's, but at a distance.

"_Mello likes someone he can't have too."_ Near then grabbed the Matt Lego. "_The closest person to Mello is Matt. Matt looks up to  
Mello as if Mello is the greatest thing to ever grace this Earth. If Mello wanted Matt, he could probably have him. Unless Matt doesn't swing that way._"

Then Near stopped.

He had never considered the thought that had just invaded his mind.

He'd heard of the different sexual orientations-- heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual, and he knew what they meant.

But did liking L make him gay?

Here he was, merely 10 years old and thinking about his sexuality and of those closest to him.

He stared at the Lego's aghast.

How did he know? Was it something one just came to realize?

Oh God, what if L was as straight as a board?

Forgetting about Mello and his crush, Near started worrying about his _own_ love interest.

Twirling his hair, he thought hard about this new obstacle.

If L wasn't homo of bisexual, he was screwed.

He sat there, contemplating until dinner. He was walking through the hallways, staring blindly ahead of him, pushed by the chattering crowd  
of children.

He entered the mess hall and stood in line, still zoning out. He got his dinner, sat down alone and began to eat, still lost in thought.

"Hey," Mello said, smiling. "You're going to eat _all_ that?"

"You're going to keep _all _that down?" Near spat angrily.

Mello looked taken aback.

"I was just kidding." he replied under his breath, looking away.

"I'm sorry Mello." Near sighed sadly. "I'm not in a good mood."

"I can tell."

"Hey!" Matt called from across the room. Mello waved. "We're eating the The Ghost today?"

"Do you mind?" Mello inquired.

"Nope."

"'The Ghost'?" Near raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You have white hair, skin as pale as a Geisha's, and you wear white all the time." Matt cocked his head. "Why, do you not like it?"

Near shook his head. "I just wasn't aware I had a nickname." he explained quietly.

Matt smiled oddly at Near before turning to Mello. "So Mello," he started, "Have you confessed to your crush yet?"

"Shut up, Matt." Was all Mello said in reply.

"Oh, come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

The glare that Mello shot Matt would force most people quake and maybe even bolt. But Matt didn't stop.

"I mean, I'm sure they like you too--"

"--Matt--"

"--They've been hanging out with you more--"

"--don't make me hit you--"

"--I bet they're heels over head for you--"

"--Matt, I swear to God if you don't shut up I'm going to shank you!"

Matt stopped and smiled evilly.

Near poked at the lifeless, tasteless green beans.

"_So whoever Mello likes has gotten closer to him?_"

While the other two bickered (Mello attempting to stab Matt with a fork while Matt defended himself with a spoon), Near got to his feet and left. He wandered the halls, considering the outcomes for his dilemma. There was so much that could happen, so many things that were unpredictable.

It all depended on L.

- - -

Mello watched Near leave but didn't do or say anything to stop him.

He stopped fighting with Matt and continued to eat his dinner.

"Wanna play a game after dinner?" Matt asked, taking out his Gameboy.

"Which one?"

Matt shrugged. "A racing game, a fighting game, an RPG. I don't care."

Mello thought about it. "No," he decided. "I need to study."

"That's cool." Matt said, eating and tapping.

Mello pulled a chocolate bar out of one of his cargo pockets and started eating it. The table was quiet once again.

Matt leaned over and whispered in Mello's ear. "Do you think he likes you back?"

Mello sighed. "Doubt it."

"If it doesn't work out, I know someone who likes you."

"Really?" Mello gasped. "Who?"

Matt gave Mello a shy smile. "I can't tell you."

"What does their name start with?"

A look of sadness crossed his face quickly before being replaced with a wide grin. "I promised I wouldn't tell."

Mello "humphed" and went back to his chocolate. Mello sighed and went back to his game.

"_Near will never like you, Mello. So why can't you just like me?_"

- - -

The next morning, Near sat in a play room watching the news. Sometimes, the teachers and caretakers give the kids breaks from class.  
They're not as long or frequent as a normal schools, but not even L's successors want to learn everyday. Near watched emotionlessly as the anchorwoman told them that a story about a sequence of unexplainable heart attacks would come on after the break.

Near carefully designed a robot out of marshmallows and toothpicks, waiting patiently for the show to come back on.

He reached into the bag and impaled another marshmallow with a toothpick and ate it, paying little attention to the commercials.

Finally, the show came back on.

The woman looked at the camera gravely, shuffling a few papers before she started to speak.

"50 imprisoned criminals died from unexplainable heart attacks yesterday in Japan."

Near looked up from the marshmallow man and to the T.V.

"Authorities have no idea what is happening, but they are doing everything in their power to discover the reason of these mysterious deaths. This is all we have on this story at this time."

And that was it-- they didn't talk about it anymore.

Near just stared at the T.V., not seeing it.

People did not just drop dead from cardiac arrest. Someone or something was killing them.

Near heard footsteps in the hallway and soon Mello entered holding a plate.

"Good morning." He said, sitting down beside Near.

"Morning."

"You skipped breakfast."

"I wasn't hungry"

"Oh. Well, I brought you this in case you were hungry but you were to busy doing something like making models out of marshmallows to eat." Near could hear the smile in Mello's voice as he spoke and looked away from his project to see Mello offering him a plate.

It was an English muffin, cut in half, toasted and covered with melted cheese. He looked from it to Mello.

"I noticed you had it for breakfast the other day. I thought you would like it."

"Thank you." Near said and took the plate, and starting to nibble on one of the halves.

"I have good news." Mello continued. Near cocked his head to show that he was listening. "L is coming here tomorrow, and he said he is  
going to stay for an undetermined amount of time."

Near swallowed what he'd been chewing. "Why is he staying?"

Mello shrugged. "Dunno. But I'm looking forward to it."

Near nodded.

L was staying with them.

This was almost too good to be true.

* * *

**I had an English muffin for breakfast this morning. It was good. So I had another one. :D**

**Meh. It's a pretty short chapter. But this was a relatively quick update, so that should hopefully make up for it.**

**And there-- the talk of eating disorders ends here. Well, maybe not. They might show up again.**

**Aww, Matt likes Mello. But Mello likes Near, who likes L. And L likes... ? Maybe L should like Matt. Then it would be like... a love square. XD  
**

**Oh, and things might not follow the manga. Like, L might work on the case for fours years, not two. Cause Near was 12 when L dies, and L was like... 24, and in this story L is 10 years older than Near. And I want it to stay that way. So everything else is changing. Is that cool with you guys? (Oh noes, am I killing L?!)**

**I hope you liked this chapter, fluffy boy angst-drama and all. Cause once again, I didn't. I feel like I could have done a better job writing it, but ah well. **

**(Whoa. Severely long A/N O.O)**

**-Hybrid  
**


	11. Chapter 11

The orphanage buzzed with excitement, the news of L taking up temporary residence sending the children into something that resembled delighted chaos. The kids were ecstatic to hear about L's arrival. Up until then, L had only visited Mello and Near. Only a few other kids gotten to see him.

The children waited anxiously all day, awaiting the moment when the black car pulled into the driveway. According to Mello, who boasted about his relationship with the secretive detective, L loved sweets, so groups of young girls had spent the day baking. Everything from homemade ice cream to cookies, they worked in the kitchen, determined to make enough treats to satiate L. Some kids wanted to decorate, but Roger would have none of it.

"He's coming to stay for a few weeks. Yes, this is exciting, but no reason to throw a party. Ryuuzaki, as you have to call him, will probably only want to stay in his room and work. He needs a quiet place."

At 2:24, the children all rushed into the front hall, rows of tiny faces peering out the window to catch a glimpse of L's car. He said he'd be  
here at 2:30. The caretakers shook their heads at the eager kids. It was laughable, how elated they were.

"There!" a boy shouted the moment the vehicle came into view. The rest watched intently as the car parked, the back door opened slowly and the eccentric detective emerged from the vehicle. The driver, his personal servant, Watari, went to the trunk and collected L's bags. L's eyes flickered on the window, smiling slightly when he saw the impatient faces looking back at him.

Hushed whispers of "He's here!" and "Shhh!" spread through the children. They watched as the two men walked to the front door. They heard the doorknob fidget, saw it turn, and L let himself in, Watari directly behind him. He turned his head and looked at the kids. They looked back, in shock and awe.

Mello broke through the crowd, dragging a blushing Near behind him by the hand. Mello threw himself at the detective, who had dropped to one knee and wrapped one arm around the blonde, and the other around the petite boy who had hugged him just as fiercely but with less force.

The other kids looked on in amazement as L looked down with affection.

"How long are you staying?" Mello asked excitedly.

"I don't know." L replied. "A while, I know that for sure."

"Why?" Near questioned.

"That," L said, turning his attention on Near, "is something that must wait until we're alone." the two boys nodded in understanding.

L got to his feet and glanced at the children. He noticed a small group of girls looking at him nervously, each holding a bag. A girl with dark  
brown hair and amazing blue eyes approached him.

"R-Ryuuzaki?" she asked, not looking L in the eye.

"Yes?"

"Mello told us that you like sweets and that you didn't like to go outside and that you worked a lot so we all made you cookies and things so you can have sweets but not leave the orphanage to buy it!" she said quickly, holding out her bag. L looked at it, and then at the other girls, before taking the bag and peering inside it.

Inside he found a dozen golden brown cookies. He licked his lips when he smelled cinnamon. He reached one spidery hand into the bag and grabbed a cookie, sniffing it before nibbling off some.

His eyes lit up as his taste buds were assaulted with the pleasant taste of perfectly baked cookies. "Snickerdoodles." He announced. "With the just the right amount of cinnamon." The dark haired girl beamed up at him, a rosy blush tinting her cheeks.

The other girls swarmed around him, shoving bags of their own cooking in to his arms. L was careful to take a bite of each and give a kind compliment. When he was finally able to stand up again, bags of confections hung off of his arms. In his hands he held everything that couldn't be hung, had no idea how he was going to get through to _many _sweets before they went stale.

"Ryuuzaki!" He heard some boys yell. He turned his head to look, and saw some boys with banners and various toys. L blinked at them, not sure what to do. His little run in with the sugar-giving girl pack was enough child interaction for on day.

Roger, thankfully, must have noticed L's current dilemma and swooped in to save him, asking L to follow him to the room they had prepped for his arrival. L nodded, bid Watari and his successors to come with him, and left the room. He heard whispers trail their departure, but payed them no mind.

His room was on the top floor where no children were being housed. As Roger explained as they walked, that L had a whole floor to himself to work peacefully in stomp around angrily, listen to music, or break a window if he must, although Roger made a point of hoping that the last wouldn't happen for no good reason, and that the kids were told that the floor was restricted, and if they were caught up there, they would be punished.

L thanked Roger and dismissed him, asking Mello and Near to stay.

The room was scarcely furnished. A bed sat in the corner, pushed up against the walls. A desk with a lone chair and three T.V. Was pushed up next to the bed.

Watari was setting up L's computer on the floor as L gently shut the door and turned to the two boys.

"The reason I'm here is to track and find out what is causing the criminals deaths by cardiac arrest."

He walked over to the window and peeked outside before shutting the blinds, casting the room in near darkness. His computer whirred to life, shedding blue light on the trio. L looked almost translucent in the pale light.

"I believe that these people are being murdered somehow."

Mello's eyes widened.

"Even though these death haven't even been happening for a week, some people are starting to believe this is the work of God-- Divine Retribution."

"People will believe anything these days." Near sighed.

"It isn't to hard to believe. Criminals dropping dead for no reason? Autopsies have discovered no sign of poison. Either a very large group of terrorists have found a new drug that is completely untraceable, or this is something otherworldly."

"What do you think it is?" Mello asked. L looked at his computer."

"I really don't know. That's why I'm here."

L walked over to his computer and sat down, his legs crossed. Mello and Near sat down beside him.

"I'd like you two to do your own research. When you can, you can come up here to work with me. However, when doing research outside of this room, be secretive and don't tell anyone."

The two youth nodded in agreement.

"Very well then. Why don't you two go down to the cafeteria and eat? I'm pretty sure it's time for dinner..."

- - -

The mess hall was alive with the chattering of children. Everyone looked up as Mello and Near entered, treating them as if they were celebrities. Mello basked in the attention whereas Near shrunk away from it, grabbing an apple and accepting a slice of chocolate cake for L from a giggling girl before slipping out of the lunchroom. He hated being the center of attention. He instead took his lone apple and ate it as he made his way back up the stairs and into L's room.

When he entered, L was sitting on the floor, typing away.

"Ryuuzaki?" Near said quietly, lingering in the doorway. "I brought cake."

L's eyes flickered on the boy for a second.

"Didn't you eat?"

"I ate an apple on the way here."

L looked as if he were about to coach the boy on his eating habits, but decided against it.

"What kind of cake?"

"Chocolate. Another gift." Near replied, shutting the door and handing L the cake.

L thanked him and turned back to his computer, poking the cake with his fork.

"It's dry."

"I doubt she's that good of a cook; it is Dalia we're taking about after all..."

L nodded, and then seemed to promptly forget about the boy.

"Can I stay here with you?"

L turned his head to the young boy, giving him all of his attention.

"Excuse me?"

"I-I was wondering if I could stay here for a little while?"

L appeared to be considering it and after a pause, opened his mouth to speak.

"Do you have any assignments you need to work on?"

"We're on a break, but I do have an essay due at the end of it,,,"

L pointed to a computer beside one of the three T.V.s on the desk. "You can use that one." he said.

Near nodded his thanks and walked over to the computer. Soon, he became lost in his research and didn't become reality until the door was thrown open in a frenzy.

"Near!" The intruder yelled.

Near and L glared at the man, both angry that their extensive research had been disturbed. In the doorway stood Roger. He looked at Near, a look that couldn't decided whether to be fear or shock or embarrassment on his face. His eyes darted from Near to L and back  
again.

L looked pissed. A contained anger, mind you, but anger nonetheless.

"Er..." Roger gulped. "I didn't know where you went."

"Well, now you know that I'm here, I'm okay, right?"

"I, er... Think you should go to your room. I need to talk to Ryuuzaki."

Near looked over at L before getting up from the computer and leaving the room.

Roger shut the door after making sure that Near was down the hall and out of sight, and turned to L.

"What is it you want to talk to me about, Roger? You seem quite upset."

"Yes, I suppose I am." Roger said, wringing his hands. "I need to talk to you about Near."

"What is there to talk about?"

"When Near was at the hospital, a nurse reported him muttering 'L' and 'Ryuuzaki' in his sleep."

"You're point being?" L asked blatantly, looking up at Roger with onyx eyes.

"She claims that he said other things that she believes, but is not entirely sure, about loving you, Ryuuzaki. More than he should."

L blinked slowly. "I'm aware that Near has feelings deeper than admiration for me.

"Then you must understand why I don't think he should be alone with you!"

L turned his eyes away from Roger and instead on the ceiling. "I do not understand that."

"It's obvious, Ryuuzaki! If Near likes you then--"

"I doubt Near would act on his emotions. Near is not that rash. He has most likely realized the danger of his feelings and will act accordingly. Why would I deprive him of my company? Besides," he looked back at Roger, his gaze penetrating. "I'm the one you should worry about."

Roger's eyes widened. "W-wha--"

Putting his thumb to his lip, L looked back at the ceiling. "He is an attractive boy. He's intelligent and isn't one to get in your way. Young, yes, but very mature, and I doubt a relationship between us would become sexual immediately. He is an ideal partner."

Roger took a step back. "Ryuuzaki, think about what you're saying!"

"I am." L replied, rising to his feet. "And I think that Near would make a fine boyfriend."

"You can't be serious!" Roger gasped.

"I might be, I might not be. Near is still just a boy. I also know that you wouldn't dare press charges against the Great L." L cocked his head, he face dangerously close to Roger's. "Would you?"

Shakily, Roger shook his head.

"Besides," L said, un-invading Roger's personal space and walking away. "I'll have to wait and see what Near does."

L didn't see it, but Roger nodded and left the room. L heard the door click shut.

He sat back down on the floor, resuming what he was doing.

He stared at the screen, eyes blurring and distorting the words.

"_Did I really just say that to Roger?_"

- - -

A week passed and Kira, as he was now called, was calling international attention. His motives were quite clear at this point; rid the world  
of evil by killing off the criminals.

But despite the commotion, Wammys House decided to have a little field trip, for the end of the summer. They were going to a water park before it got to cold.

Near, however, fell ill the night before they were planning to leave. His fever was still persistent that morning, so he wasn't allowed to go. He sat in his bed, hating his frail, sickly body and attempting to make his fever go down by thinking about it. He was sitting there, a nurse getting him some medicine, when a thought came to him.

He was practically alone with L.

"Check my temperature." Near said after the nurse had given him a spoonful of medicine.

"Near, I just gave you medicine..."

"I had some last night. Please check."

The nurse sighed and grabbed the thermometer off the table and stuck it under Near's tongue. It beeped in even intervals before giving off a series of four consecutive beeps, telling them that it was done.

The nurse looked at it. "99.6." she read aloud.

"That's better."

"But not best."

"But I want to go visit L."

"You can visit him later, when your temperature is all the way down."

"But I _have_ to see him."

"Why?"

"He asked me to come. I needs my help."

The nurse gave Near a scrutinizing look before sighing and allowing him to go. "Just be careful!" She shouted after him as he trotted excitedly down the hall.

He knocked quietly at L's door and waited for L to call him in. He slowly pushed open the door and entered.

"How do you feel?"

"Better." Near said, walking over to L and sitting on the floor. L peered at him.

"You still look a little ill."

"I'm not cured, just feel a lot better."

"Are you sure?" L asked, leaning in close.

Near nodded, his cheeks flushing deeper with a hot blush. L looked hard at Near, before doing something quite unexpected. He pressed his forehead to Nears.

Near made a sound of surprise and felt his cheeks grow even hotter.

L's skin was cool against his own heated flesh. It was soothing. He looked up at L's large, black eyes, distorted by their proximity to each  
other. Light peach colored lips were open slightly in concern, tempting the supposedly innocent boy. He could kiss. He should kiss him.

He didn't kiss him.

He started to chew on his lower lip, accepting the light tendrils of pain instead of the softness of L's lips.

L cocked his head. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No.." Near stuttered. "I'm fine."

"But you're getting hotter. Your cheeks are a deep red."

Near's eyes widened. "_Could he really be so naive? So dense?_"

L pulled away. "You're the only one left behind, right?"

Near nodded.

"Well it's not fair. Do you want to go do something?"

"Like what?"

L shrugged. "I don't know, Video games, a movie. Something other than work."

When Near didn't reply, L continued. "We could go into town, go get something to eat. Find a carnival, go shopping, go to a pet store--"

"A pet store, Ryuuzaki?"

L stopped counting on his fingers and looked at Near, smiling kindly.

"I'm trying to remember what I liked to do at your age, and I liked petting animals."

"You'd go into pet stores and play with the animals?"

"I'm good with pets."

Near nodded and started twirling his hair, thinking about what would like to do with L. "A movie sounds nice."

"I'll get Watari to take us."

Near went to get up, glad that he was getting to do something with L, eager to get going, but he felt L's hand grab his shirt.

"How do you feel?"

"Hmm? Oh, better."

With L on his knees, and Near standing, they were relatively close in height. L decided to check Near's temperature one last time, and put  
a hand to the boys forehead, frowned, and replaced it with his forehead .

"I've never been good at checking temperatures." he explained. He smiled slightly when once again, heat returned to Near's face.

L was considering kissing the boy when a knock at the door pulled them back to reality. They both looked up, still close together. Watari blinked down at the scene. Near jerked away as if they had been doing something wrong, and L frowned.

"Yes?"

When Watari didn't reply, L sighed. "I was checking for a fever."

"Are you ready to go?" Watari asked, ignoring the current situation.

L looked over at Near, who nodded, and then got up. "Let us grab our shoes and we'll be ready."

After both shoe despising geniuses had adorned nearly unused sneakers, they walked to the car. L ate a bag of Skittles agonizingly slowly,  
and Near daydreamed until they arrived and got in line. L looked at the movies playing and turned to Near.

"There are two romantic comedies, one R-rated horror, a movie based on sports and a pg-13 thriller/suspense about werewolves and vampires."

"Supernatural movie." Near said without hesitation.

"There is a serial killer in it."

Near sensed the worry on L's voice, He smiled. "I'll be fine."

L walked up to the counter and asked to buy two tickets to the movie Near chose.

"How old is he?" she asked, pointing to Near.

"10."

"This is a PG-13 rated movie."

"I am his legal guardian."

"Can you prove it?"

L leaned in, his eyes as sharp and cold as onyx.

"He is an orphan. He has many guardians. He was left behind on the biggest field trip of the year because he had a cold. I wanted to treat him to a movie and would be most appreciative if you would allow him this privilege."

The girl looked taken aback. She was young, upper teens. She was cute, a little to much black eyeliner. He could tell that if he appealed to her emotions, she wouldn't ask any more questions.

"An orphan?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. I'm the closest thing he has to family."

"The poor thing..." she murmured, putting a hand to her mouth. She quickly took L's money and gave him two tickets. "Enjoy the movie."

L nodded, took Near's hand (He wanted to look more legal guardianish), and walked through the glass doors.

L took the immediate left, still holding Near's hand, and stood in line for treats.

"What do you want?" he asked, fishing out his wallet with his free hand. Near looked around the others in line, at the glass counter displaying the confectioneries.

"Popcorn. Oh, and those chocolate covered cookie dough balls." he said quietly, his heart beating at an unbelievable rate.

"_Am I on a date with L? Would this be considered a date? Oh my God, what am I going to do?_"

When it was there turn, L slapped a 50 dollar bill on the counter and ordered one of everything. The clerk stared at him, Near stared at him, and all L did was point to the soda machine and sat, "Oh, and a large Dr. Pepper."

Five minutes later, the due found two seats and sat down with bags of food.

Because it was the last showing of that movie, the theater was practically empty. A few couples sat in the seats, spaced out in the almost empty room. Most were in the back, probably for privacy. Near felt a little out of place, going with L and sitting in a room with nothing my hormone driven teenagers. They were all on dates, why couldn't Near and L be on one too?

The movie started. It was dramatic, almost overly so. Not the kind of movie Near would usually go too. It was about a vampire that preyed on humans, drinking their blood and leaving them dead. However, when one of the vampires unknowingly attacks and kills a werewolf, it starts a huge conflict between the two species. Near knew it wasn't supposed to be that scary, but the truth is is that it was scaring the Hell out of him. There were the jumpy parts, where the pitiful audience would break apart and stop sticking their tongues down each other's throats long enough to gasp, in some cases scream, before once more returning to their make out session. There was foreshadowing, where the creepy violin music played up to the jumpy part, and of course, the obligatory creature-looking-in-window scene.

Once again, typical horror movie music started playing as the movies heroine, a blonde girl with a cute body and was decidedly clueless, always getting in trouble and needing the sexy hero to come rescue her, was creeping around a warehouse, black blurs darting around out of focus. Near sat clutching the arms of the chair, taking shallow, shuddering breaths. He hadn't realized how scared he would be.

L sat beside him, appearing completely un-fazed. Near, however, was a nervous wreck. L saw this was thought that maybe he should have taken him to one of the romantic comedies.

He munched away at his Dots happily. Would it be too late to change movies?

Just then, the event that they had been setting up for occurred. A werewolf jumped from behind a box. Snarling and growling, he leaped at the girl. She screamed a typical ear shattering horror movie scream. Near jumped, yelped, and clutched onto L's arm.

The red Dot L was about to eat was jerked away from him as Near latched onto his arm. L peered down at Near from under a mess of raven hair. The boy was shivering from fear,

"Are you okay?" he whispered. "We can watch another movie you want."

Near shook his head. "N-No, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Y-Yeah."

L cast one last unsure glance at Near before turning his eyes back on the screen.

When the movie ended, the duo walked out and into the dimly lit hallway. The audience poured out around them, chatting and laughing, telling each other what their favorites parts of the movie were although Near doubted that they had payed very much attention to it. Near was still holding onto L's arms, his legs quaking.

"What do you want to do now?" L asked, his voice soothing.

"I don't know."

"Do you want to go back to the orphanage?"

"No. Somewhere else."

"Ice cream?"

"Sounds good."

They walked out to the parking lot where L called Watari. They waited only a few moments for the car.

Watari pulled up and L and Near climbed in. the car started up again on it's way to the closest ice cream parlor.

L was a genius, yes, but he didn't wear his seat belt. Not for this car ride at least. Near was struggling with his, considering that the belt was  
stuck and refused to come free. The moment he managed to jerk it free of it's prison, was the moment Watari made a sharp right turn.

The reason of this turn is unknown. Probably some idiot that Watari had to avoid. But we all know how inertia works, thus throwing L into the door.

And Near into L.

Near flew across the back of the car and landed in L's chest with an "Oof!" His arms had shot out to soften his fall, but all his reflex got him was a comfortable position groping L's chest. L, most likely on basic human man-protecting-child instinct, wrapped his arms around Near's slight back, holding him close.

The wild ride was over soon after it began, and the car ride was once again smooth. Near looked up at the older man, who's lips were so close that that one subtle movement almost caused a connection.

"L..." he whispered.

"Are you alright?" L asked, his breath ghosting over Near's skin, his black eyes soft and inviting. Near gulped, his heart starting a nervous patter in his chest.

"Yeah..." Near replied, his eyes focusing on L's lips.

A smile played on L's lips as he hugged Near closer, leaning forward as if to close the space between them. "That's good. I would hate it if  
any harm were to befall you."

Suddenly, the car screeched to a stop. Near lurched forward, planting a kiss on L's collar bone instead of his preferred destination.

The door opened.

"I'm sorry, Sir." Watari said stiffly. "We're here."

L pushed Near away and got out of the car. Near, feeling slightly hurt, but knew there was a god reason to L's sudden coldness, crawled  
out of the car after him.

They stood in line, Near brooding. Another opportunity to kiss, gone! Only, this time, it wasn't his fault. Near decided to cheer up and enjoy the last of his day with L. Who knows when he will have another time like this?

L ordered a simple cake batter flavored ice cream. He waited for Near, who was twirling his hair in thought. L expected him to order something common and simple like vanilla.

"Cake batter and mint chocolate chip with brownie mixed in."

Both L and the clerk looked at him like he was crazy. Near shrugged. "It's good."

They got their ice cream and sat down at a table for two farthest away from the storefront windows. Near smiled almost maniacally down at ice cream concoction before sticking his spoon in the center and licking it off.

"Though you'd get something plain." L admitted, eating a spoonful of his ice cream.

"The seemingly most normal people can have the oddest and most complex habits and tendencies."

"I'd hardly you normal."

"Then why would you expect me to get something normal?"

"You have a point."

The two finished their ice cream in silence. They rose and left the parlor, returning to the car and separating with a hug at the orphanage.

The rest got back an hour or so later, in time for dinner which Near skipped. He instead stayed up in his room and built and rebuilt a puzzle 56 times before climbing into bed.

_He was running, his chest tight and aching, his breath ragged, the blood in his mouth and throat choking; drowning him._

_Behind him a pack of werewolves howled at his heels. The leaders black fur was stained with blood. His blood._

_He stumbled, fell, scrambled to get away from the snapping beasts, crawling through the mud in a hopeless fight to save himself._

_They were on him. Blood spattered the ground. He screamed._

Near awoke, tried to sit up. Failed. He was entangled in the sheets, he struggled, withering around, making the mess worse. Cold sweat made freezing trails down his neck and spine, alarming him. He was convinced that it was his blood.

He finally calmed down enough to free himself from the suffocating hold of the blankets. He threw them off of him and onto the floor. He lay on his back, panting, wondering what to do next.

After a few moments he rolled out of bed: literally. He rose shakily to his feet and started out the door, down the hall and up the stairs to L's room.

He knocked lightly before entering.

"Ryuuzaki?" He croaked, his voice hoarse.

L sat on the floor in front of his computer.The blue-white light washed over him, bathing him in it's eerie glow, deepening the shadows below his eyes.

He looked at Near, who was cowering in the doorway, and didn't say a word.

Near let himself in, shutting the door with a gentle click.

"I had a nightmare." he explained, walking over to L. "Can I stay with you?"

"Do you mind me being up?"

Near shook his head. "I just didn't want to be alone."

L nodded toward the bed. "You can sleep there."

Near thanked L, walked over to the bed and climbed beneath the covers. "Goodnight." he whispered before closing his eyes.

"Goodnight."

L listened to Nears breathing, waiting for it to become even in sleep. His eyes lingered a moment longer on the monitor before he got to his feet and walked the short distance to the bed.

He looked down at Near. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open slightly, puffs of air playing with a stray piece of silver hair. He looked so troubled. Pained, as if the weight of the whole world was crushing him, not the usual at ease look people got when they slept.

The breath caught in L's throat. His heart ached-- a dull, persist ant hurt. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to comfort Near, to love him and hold him and kiss his worries away. He grabbed the blanket that was draped over Near's body and pulled it up to his chin. Near snuggled into the pillow.

"L... " he sighed.

L took a step back. "_Could I be the reason for all of his pain?_"

He felt an unfamiliar pain behind his eyes, and he suddenly realized that he was going to cry. He swallowed the lump in his throat and fought back the threat of tears. The turned back to his computer with every intent to go back to work, but instead clicked off the monitor and returned to the bed, pulling back the covers and climbing in beside Near.

It was way too hard to resist him.

- - -

**Oh God, I am done with that. I'm sorry it took FOREVER to type. It was almost 39 (It's also 4989 words by the way, not including the A/N) written pages (Most of my chapters are 22 to 25) and I even had a mental conversation with it. (It was like, "Shelbey... you should type me." I was like "I know fanfiction, but I just... don't want to." Yeah. Then it started insulting me and such.)**

**I sort of scanned this chapter for typos, however, not very well. But I have good news. This summer break I am doing a mass revising. I am going through every single one of my fanfics and fixing them. However, if anyone who happens to be bored out of their mind feels like fixing a story or chapter for me, and then emailing me the end result at stardragon13 gmail . Com, I would be MOST appreciative.**

**Anyway, back to this story: Yay for fluff. X3 However, the next chapter will have some conflict. And I also know how this whole thing ends. But I can't tell you. Until it is the end. Then you'll know. (After reading over it, I accidentally based the movie they saw off of Underworld. Only slightly, but.. oops..)  
**

**I liked this chapter, I hope you did too, the next update will take a long time to get out, so enjoy this one.**

**Oh, and because I haven't done this in a while-- Thank you all for the kind reviews! I never thought any of my stories would get big, let alone as big as some of them have gotten. I love it so much, I love you all so much, and I love this story. Your kind words have helped me along the way and with a lot of things. Thank you!!**

**-Hybrid**


	12. Chapter 12

Near woke up unsure of where he was. The room was dark, the bed unfamiliar. What happened last night? Where was he? He rolled over in the bed and looked out from under the covers.

L sat on the floor, tapping away at his computer.

"Ryuuzaki?"

L looked up from his work. "Oh, you're awake."

"I had fun yesterday."

"So did I."

Near rubbed his eyes, trying to further wake himself when his stomach growled.

L cracked a smile. "Hungry?"

Near smiled back sheepishly. "Yeah,"

L held out a small plate of cookies. Near took on and started to nibble absentmindedly on it, his mind on other things.

"You should probably go back soon."

Near's heart sank. He had wanted something to happen between him and L. He wanted a confession of love, a kiss, something.

He looked down at the cookie in his hands. L was right, he should probably go back soon, but not without asking a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"Ryuuzaki? May I ask you something?"

"I can't assure that you will get an answer."

Near swallowed. Did he even want an answer? "How old are you?"

L stopped typing. The whole room became silent. Slowly, L turned. His eyes met Nears.

Near breathed in sharply. L's eyes held a tint of pain, regret, sorrow. The ghost of an emotion flickered to life in his charcoal eyes. It was shocking to Near, to see even a hint of such a strong feeling.

He was also scared.

Slowly, L blinked, the emotion gone when his eyes opened again. "Too old." He replied.

Near wasn't sure what he meant. Too old for what? Did L know about Near's feelings, that the boy felt more than admiration for him?

"How old?" Near repeated himself, seeming to ignore L's vague answer.

"I'm 20 years old, Near."

A shudder ran through Near's body. 20? Near knew that L was significantly older than him, but a whole ten years? Near had assumed, by L's boyish appearance and fondness for sugar, that he was young-- 16, 17 maybe. Still much too old to have a romantic relationship with a 10 year old. But Near had comforted himself with the thought that L might not yet be an adult. That Near could be a teenager when L was of drinking age. That it would take less than ten years for their relationship to be legal.

Legal.

Anything that happened between them would be wrong, sick. Frowned upon by society. Illegal.

His choke clenched, Near finally finding it hard to breathe. "There's no chance..." He muttered, another wave of emotion sweeping over his body now that the words were spoken aloud. Never mind that now L was looking at him oddly, with almost a look of pity in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but decided against it. Near rose to his feet, the nibbled cookie falling from his limp fingers and onto the floor, breaking. He walked to the door, letting himself out without looking back.

Had he looked back, however, he would have seen a look of sad understanding, of L's shining with a mist of tears.

L watched the boy leave, and wished he could have said what was poised on his tongue.

"There is a chance." He admitted to the thick wood. "Please, don't give up."

- - -

Near was going to give up. Ten years? _Ten years_. The new information still shocked him, settling heavily in his chest, his stomach upset. Dizziness plagued him, causing his vision to swim. He stumbled, fell into the wall, and slumped to the floor.

"I should just forget about this. Forget about my feelings, my wanting. Forget about everything."

His mind made up, he let his eyes sink closed, and fell into a fitful sleep.

- - -

"Near, Near wake up."

"Nng?" Near mumbled, batting the person away.

"Oh _that _was intelligent. Come _on_ wake up."

"_Wait, that voice sounded familiar._"

"Eh... L?"

Laughter.

"No, you moron. Matt."

Near opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"It's just you." Near said, yawing. Matt pouted.

"You sound excited about seeing me."

Near began to rub his eyes. "What do you want?" He asked.

Matt smiled. "I want your love."

Near stopped his vigorous rubbing and moved his fist slightly to give Matt an annoyed, quizzical look, his eye red.

"I'm serious. I need you to love me."

"Matt, I can not even grasp an idea that would make you say that to me. The only thing I can think of is that Mello dared you, or you have gone crazy."

Matt smiled one of his mischievous smiles. "Neither. Can we talk in you're room?"

Near, still looking at the older boy like he was on something, nodded and got to his feet, a little surprised by how close he was to his  
room. He shut the door behind him, eying Matt, who had already jumped on his bed. Near sat at his desk.

"Explain what you mean."

"I should probably start from the beginning. I know someone who likes you."

"If you're talking about Kinoko, then I already--"

"No. Someone else. Someone who I want to like _me_, not you. So you're going to pretend to like me."

Near looked at Matt like he was insane.

"That makes so sense." Near said, shaking his head slightly.

"It makes perfect sense! If they think you like me, they'll stop liking you because they can't have you!"

"Human emotion doesn't work like that. You don't stop liking someone because you can't have them."

"_Doesn't that hit close to home?_" Near thought, wincing slightly as a wave of despair swept over him.

Matt blinked, but turned his deep blue eyes soft with understanding.

"But it's worth a try, right?"

Near began twirling his hair. "What makes you think they'll like you after they stop liking me?"

Matt just smiled. His eyes twinkled, like he already had a plan. "Please?" He begged, clasping his hands together and giving Near puppy dog eyes.

Near coughed. "I don't even know who I'm stealing you from!"

Matt just jumped up and clapped his hands together happily. He took Nears face in his hands. Near tried to jerk away, but Matt placed a peck on his cheek before he could escape.

Matt giggled, _giggled_, and darted out the door, turning to blow Near a kiss. "Thanks, _sweetie_, you're such a doll." Then he wiggled his fingers and skipped down the hallway.

Near glared at the door, an unwanted blush tinting his cheeks. Then he cracked into a smile and laughed.

TOKYO, JAPAN

Yagami Raito sat in his dark room, the only light was emitted from the T.V. He was scribbling down the names that were mentioned on the news furiously in his death note. He smirked down at the black note book. Behind him, a ghastly creature cackled.

"You done for the night?" It asked.

"Yeah."

Outside his window, he heard a car pull into his driveway. The front door opened. His dad was home. Raito quickly hid the death note in the drawer he'd designed and pulled his math book closer. He heard his dad climb the stairs, trying to be quiet and failing.

His father knocked lightly on his door.

"Dad? Come in." Raito replied, stepping into his "Innocent, perfect child" persona.

"Raito? Wat are you still doing up?" His dad exhaustion and lack of sleep was evident in the deep lines and bags under his eyes. Raito felt a small pang of guilt, but quashed it. "I'm sorry Dad, I was studying. I must have lost track of time."

His dad gave a tired smile. "Alright. Well, go to bed, okay?"

Raito nodded. "Good night, Dad."

"Goodnight Son."

Soichirou shut the door. Raito sighed and stretched. He got up and changed before turning off the light and climbing into bed.

The murderous teen was soon asleep. Ryuk watched him as he slumbered. He looked peaceful, content.

Totally at ease with killing hundreds of people each week.

Ryuk floated over to the window, looking out onto that busy street. It took a sick person to sleep so soundly after what he'd done.

- - -

Their break was over. Time to return to the classrooms. The AC was on, chilling Near to the bone, his whole body shivered as he attempted, in vain, to write. He clenched his teeth from chattering. He could barely focus.

He had dropped his pencil and was hugging himself in a desperate attempt to retain some of his warmth when a crumpled piece of paper flew onto his desk. He blinked down at it and realized some had scribbled "open" on it. Tentatively he reached out one hand and opened it, painfully aware of the loud crinkling song it made when unwrinkled.

Inside, Matt's unmistakable scrawl was "Flirt with me after class"

Near stared down at the note. _Flirt_?! He didn't know how to flirt! He was a supposedly emotionless, slightly anti-social, 10 year old boy trying to get over his first crush! He had _no idea_ how to flirt.

He shoved the paper into his backpack, another shiver racing down his spine, whether it was from the cold, or those five words, he didn't know. Forgetting about the English assignments, Near now worried about keeping his word after class.

20 minutes later, the class was dismissed. Near was freaking out. He saw Matt flash those royal blue eyes at him, and knew there was no way out of this.

He was going to regret this later.

Near took a deep breath and trotted over to where Mello and Matt were standing, Matt digging around in his bag for something. When he got closer he heard Mello complaining.

"Come _on_, Matt, borrow another one."

"But that was my favorite pencil!" Matt replied, unzipping another pocket to search it.

When Near came to a stop at the desk, he could feel Mello's scrutinizing eyes on him, but whether he was pleased, shocked, or appalled, Near didn't know. His cheeks burning, he refused to look either boy in the eye.

"What do you want?" Mello asked, the tone in his voice indistinguishable.

"I, uhmm... Matt? I over heard that you needed some help with you're... geography... last class..."

He dared to look up then. Matt was smiling. "Yeah." he said with a sigh.

"I you want, I can help you."

"Sure. Can I come up to your room tonight?"

He ran through a list of responses that would work for this situation. Quickly, he decided what he should do. He walked to the side of Matt, so that the were almost shoulder to shoulder (More like shoulder to bicep-- everyone on Earth was taller than Near). Near placed his hand on Matt's arm and looked up at him.

"I look forward to seeing you there." He said, smiled slightly, and walked over.

He kept walking without looking back, not even when he heard Mello say "What the hell was that about?"

He ducked into the nearest bathroom, and gripped the sink. Looking into the mirror, he saw his childish face. He looked young, cute. Not sexy at all.

But behind those pale eyes and innocent smile, was a boy aged well beyond his years. Sometimes he forgot that he was only 10. The only thing keeping him tied to this age group was the fact that his body was 10. He sighed, and pressed his forehead to the cold glass. Oh what he would give to be older!

Near realized suddenly that he had been in there for a while. He grabbed his stuff and rushed out the door.

- - -

L sat in his room, staring at the computer. He was thoroughly annoyed at Kira, and his continuous murders. The Japanese police force had little to offer, barely anything at all, but L had finally come to the conclusion that Kira lived in Japan. He had already devised a plan and was merely waiting for the right time to put it in action.

L was sure that Kira needed a face to kill. He had only been able to kill criminals whose faces and names were broad casted, whether on the Internet, News, or the paper, they were introduced to the public. So unless Kira was a mind reader living in England, L was safe.

Unless Kira was only making it seem he needed a name and a face, and could actually kill anyone he pleased.

And that was the reason L hadn't initiated his plan, or even told the police force. It was the only time in his career that he out himself in immediate danger. By challenging Kira, he was standing up and saying "Kill me!"

L sighed and laid back, his back cracking several times as he stretched across the floor, straightening it fully for the first time in days.

If he found Kira in Japan, and wasn't dead, he was going to have to move everything there, set up headquarters, and cut off almost all contact with the outside world until Kira was captured.

Meaning he would barely talk to Mello and Near until this was over.

L covered his eyes, rubbing them gently. He wasn't really sure what he should do about the boy. It was dangerous, all though he was sure he could get away with it. And whoever said the relationship would be immediately sexually? Or even romantic? Couldn't he just have the boy in his presence, working by his side until he was legal? And even when Near was old enough, that didn't mean they had to consummate the relationship that night.

But he knew he was being selfish.

Near was a 10 year old boy. L was his first crush, and merely that. Nothing said that the boy's feelings wouldn't change in eight years. In fact, the odds were strongly against L. Near would probably find a cute girl, or maybe even another boy. He'd find someone else.

That was, of course, if Near was a normal boy.

And he wasn't a normal boy.

He was a freaking genius! A genius that was showing many of the same signs of L. Chances are, he didn't like people who didn't match up to him mentally.

Meaning that he would have a hard time finding someone with his intelligence.

He also exhibited symptoms of being anti-social. He's not going to like someone who drapes themselves over him, talks for hours, or takes personal offense to his bluntness and indifference.

L was blunt and indifferent.

L didn't care much for being touched.

L wasn't one for chit-chat.

L was perfect.

If only he wasn't a whole decade older than Near.

He groaned and rolled over, curling into a ball on the floor.

He took his mind off of the idea of romancing Near, and on to the subject of which of the two boys, Mello and Near, should succeed him. He came down to th same conclusion he always did: Mello was too emotional, too irrational. But he was bright, and the impulses of his often proved fruitful. Near was too passive, too emotionless. But he was the smarter of the two. He needed a mixture of the two. A person who was impulsive, but knew when that was a bad decision. Someone grounded, but ready to roll. He needed Mello and Near to work together.

L shut his eyes and started cracking his knuckles, one by one. There was a third person. Matt. He was smart, but didn't apply himself fully. He had nimble fingers, and eye for detail, and could watch multiple screens at a time with little to no difficulty. All things he'd learned, he'd learned from video games. L coughed, kind of a chuckle but not really.

"_It'd be amusing to see the look on the others faces when it was neither of them; if it was someone who no one even knew was a candidate._"

But he pushed the thought out of his head. He needed someone with a freakish amount intelligence, and Near was practically a little clone of himself.

L sighed. "_Better get back to the case._" He thought, and with that he sat up and resumed typing.

- - -

"L?" Matsuda asked. "Whats that, Chief?"

"Oh, that's right. This is your first Interpol meeting." Soichirou Yagami smiled slightly. "Nobody knows his real name, whereabouts, or even what he looks like. But he can solve any case, no matter what it is. I suppose you could call him a sleuth... No-- well anyway,  
nobody knows who he is, but he has solved countless unsolved cases so far. You might say he's our trump card, our ace in the whole. Something like that."

Matsuda stared at Yagami-san in awe. "Wow? Really? That's amazing..."

Around them, the other representatives talked, argued was more like it, about L and the heart attacks.

"L is already on the case."

That one voice rang out over all the others. The room became silent, the dark figure in the front of the room setting up a computer.

"L will now speak." He announced.

The screen beamed to life, a decorative black "L" was framed against a white screen.

"_Good afternoon._" The garbled, mechanical-esque voice said, void of emotion. "_This is L_."

- - -

After classes were over, Near sat at his desk, waiting for Matt to show up. He heard a knock on the door, and yelled a weak "Come in."

The door opened, and Matts smiling face came into view. "Wha's up?" He asked, slipping his backpack off his shoulder and throwing it at the bed.

"Nothing much," Near said, twirling his hair.

Matt made a sound of recognition and unzipped his bag. He then dumped out a PlayStation2 and all the wires and controllers needed to operate it.

Near looked at it oddly. "I thought we were going to study." He said, a statement not a question.

"Nah. Geography is one of my best subjects." Matt explained, plugging the multi-colored wires into the T.V.

Near stared at him, taken aback.

"You wanna play a racing game, a fighting game, or an RPG?"

Near sighed and rubbed his temples. "A RPG. Definitely."

- - -

"'Kira'..." Raito said to Ryuk. "I don't like how it is obviously derived from 'killer', but this is what people all over the world know me as. People know. They wont say it openly, but they know someone is killing off the criminals. Those with clean conscience are cheering Kira on in their hearts." His eyes gleamed. "This is great. This is going exactly as I planned."

"_We are interrupting the program to bring you a live, globally televised broadcast from Interpol, With Japanese voice over done by interpreter Yoshio Anderson._"

Raito's eye shot to the T.V. There sat a young man. He had longish black hair, and was dressed in a nice suit. The name plate in front of him read "Lind L. Tailor"

"_I am Lind L. Tailor, more commonly known as "L"-- the sole person able to mobilize police in every country worldwide."_

"W-What the Hell?!" Raito gasped, looking wide eyed at the T.V.

"_Criminals have been the target of a killing spree, which has turned into the biggest mass murder case in history._" Tailor continued. "_This monstrous crime must be stopped at all costs. 'Kira', as the perpetrator is commonly known, _will_ be caught. I guarantee it!_"

"He guarantees you'll be caught, _hyuk hyuk_." Ryuk said, eyes trained on the T.V. As well. He glanced down at Raito.

The boy was shocked, eyes wide, scared.

"Hmpf." He said, letting a smile adorn his lips. "That _moron_! Like _Hell_ I'll be caught! I've got the Death Note, See?! Without this note book, you don't have any proof-- none! There's no way you can catch me!"

- - -

Near woke up, thirst clawing at his throat. He reached blindly for his glass of water, and instead felt an envelope. Confused, he grabbed it and threw back the covers, stumbling to the light switch. He winced, his eyes shutting tight against the flood of bright light. He made his way back to his bed and sunk onto it, blinking rapidly, trying to make his eyes adjust. The envelope was addressed to him in neat writing.

Ungracefully, he ripped off the top, and pulled the letter from within. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, the light reflecting painfully off of the white paper.

_Dear Near,_

_Tonight I am doing something very dangerous. I may be killed. I'm writing this letter to say goodbye, just in case. _

_I have gathered that Kira is located in Japan, and I am going to broadcast Lind L. Tailor into every region of Japan at different times, challenging him. Which ever broadcast he is killed during, will be where I will be traveling._

_I am doing this assuming that Kira will not be able to kill me. He might. _

_I do not have a successor yet; I'm sorry. I'm hoping that I live to choose one of you._

_Near, promise me that you will never give up. I know that you will be a great detective someday, and I want you to be the best you can. Make me proud._

_L_

Near stared down at the letter. Without thinking, he got off his bed and rushed out the door, tears streaming down his face. He ran down that hall, determined to get to L and tell him how he feels.

Down the hall, Mello was walking quickly towards Near, but he didn't register it. Not until Mello's arm shot out and grabbed Near around the waist, turning and bringing him to his chest. He wrapped his arms around Near, burying his face in the messy white hair.

"He told us not to go up there." He whispered into the tangled white locks.

Near clutched onto Mellos shirt, the soft black fabric soaking up his un-ebbing flow of tears.

"B-But he's in danger!" Near cried. Mello held him closer.

"I know Near, but theres nothing we can do."

At those word, Near crumbled. He went limp in Mellos arms, the only thing that had any strength were the paling fingers that clawed at the back of Mellos shirt.

Mello slowly lowered Near down, enveloping him in a hug. He didn't know what to say, do he was silent and just let Near cry.

Matt peered from the crack in the door. He had half a mind to storm out there and scream, "Near likes L! _I_ like you, you idiot!"

But he didn't.

Instead, he quietly shut the door and tip-toed to his desk. He clicked in a reading lamp and slid open a drawer. He took out a worn leather bound book and flipped through the dog eared pages.

"_Continuation--_

_Mellos just as stupid as always. He doesn't see that Near love L. He doesn't see that I like him._

_I'm jealous as hell._

_But I can see why everyone would like that little freak. He's cute._

_But he's stealing my boy. And that is unforgivable. _

_Whatever. I'll work harder to get Mello._

_Later._"

Matt sighed, chewing on his pen.

"_Screw it, I'm going to bed._"

- - -

"Come with me, to my room."

Near nodded and followed Mello through his tears. He was vaguely aware that he was being vulnerable in front of his rival, but he didn't care. He was too scared, to raw to dam the flood now.

When they reached Mellos room, Near caught a glimpse of the letter left opened in Mello's messy bed. Mello snatched it up and shoved it quickly into a drawer, but not before a new wave of tears sprung to Nears eyes.

Mello straightened up the bed. He gave Near a gentle push towards it.

"Quit your crying." He said with a smirk. "You're sleeping with me tonight, and I don't want you getting snot on my pillows."

Near sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, but he did what his was told. He climbed under the covers, and was soon bathed in darkness as Mello switched the light off. He felt the other boy climb in beside him, and soon arms encircled his body and held him close.

Blushing slightly, Near let himself be held. He envisioned that everything was safe, as long as Mello embraced him. That everything was fine.

- - -

"_Kira, I think I've got a pretty good idea of why you're doing this._" Lind L. Tailor announced. "_But what you're doing..._"

Raito waited for the next part with bated breath.

"_Is evil!_"

First, a look of shock raced across Raitos face, followed by a look of pure hatred.

"Me... evil?" Raito asked the T.V. "I am _righteous_! _I'm_ the hero is liberating people from fear! I'm the savior who's going to be like a  
god to this new, perfect world!"

Raito flipped open the death note, grabbing a pen off his desk. "Those who try to fight me, _they're_ the evil ones! You are too damn stupid, L. If you'd been smarter, this could've gotten interesting." He wrote Ls name into the death note, glaring at the television.

"Now we'll see what happens to those who offend lord Kira. The whole world's watching, L..." Raito laughed. Holding his watch close, he only to his eyes off the T.V. To check how many seconds had passed. L went on talking, but Raito wasn't listening anymore. All he could hear was the ticking of his watch as the valuable seconds went by.

"Three... two... one... _zero_." L screamed, clutching his chest. His whole body convulsed, spasms wracking him. He hit the table, dead.

Raito laughed, his first opponent dead.

"_I... I don't believe it..._" A new voice, garbled by a machine, said. Raito's eyes widened in confusion.

"_This was an experiment to test a hunch I had, but I never really thought... Kira... you can actually kill people without direct contact._" Raito could swear he heard the emotionless voice hold a hint of astonishment to it. "_So, my hunch was right. I couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes, but you can... you'd have to, of course. It didn't make sense otherwise._

"_Listen to me, Kira. If you just killed Lind L. Tailor, the man you saw on T.V., he was a condemned criminal scheduled to die today, at this hour. He wasn't me. His arrest and conviction were kept a secret from the media, and went unreported, even on the Internet. Even you had no way of knowing about him it seems..._

"_But I, L, do in fact exist. So, come on, kill me if you can!_" the image on the T.V. Changed to an old English style "L."

"_What are you waiting for?! Come on! Go ahead and kill me. I'm still here. Can't do it, Kira?_" When nothing happened, L continued. "_Evidently, you _aren't_ able to kill me. So there are people you can't kill. That's a valuable clue._

"_Now I'll give you some information, in return. Although it was announced that this was being televised globally, actually, it was only in the Kanto region around Tokyo. The plan was to broadcast live to other areas in turn, but that's no longer necessary. You are in the Kanto region of Japan. Now, I dare say, it may not be so long before I send you to die._

"_Kira, it would interest me greatly to know how you carry out your murders... but that's something I can find out _after_ I catch you!_"

Raito stood over his desk, a look of angry shock on his face. "Send me to die he said..." He whispered hoarsely.

"L..."

"_Kira..._"

"_**I'm going to find you and dispose of you, if it's the last thing I do!**_"

"I'm..."

"_I'm..._"

"_**Righteous!**_"

* * *

**Gack.**

**This took forever and a day to get out.**

**But I needed a break to crawl from the depths of writers block, and to work on other stuff, so my time away wasn't just slacking off.**

**Anyway, about this chapter: I decided to have the Near and L realize all the things wrong with their relationship, thus throwing a rock into their plans. I just want people to know that the only reason I'm writing this is because this is like, the cutest couple ever, and not because I want to molest the little boy next door.**

**I hated the last part. I had to hold the book open with one hand, and type with the other. I was like "GRAAH!! THE SLOWNESS!!" But whatever. It's done. FINALLY.**

**I've decided to throw in a little of every pairing I can. The MattxNear is inspired by, and dedicated, to Ice Puppet. If you like this pairing, check out some of his stuffs, 'cause it's home of some of the cutest MattxNear stories EVER. **

**And... anything else I wanted to say? Oh yeah. I didn't really typo check it. I've had enough of this chapter. I'm like "Go awaaaay chapter 12. I don't like yoooooou." It also would have been out sooner, but I though I had it all written down, just not typed. I sit down, open the note book and realize not even HALF is written out. I'm like "O.O" So yeah. -is shot-**

**Whoo. Long authors note. To end it, I would like to say thank you for all the loving reviews and kind words, even if at times it is poorly written and filled with typos that make me cringe. If I could huggle you all personally, I would. But I can't. So here's a universal glomp for making my feel loved. -Glomps reviewers- And not just the reviewers, everyone who's taken the time to read this and not flame me. It makes me insanely happy.**

**Love,**

**-Hybrid  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. Just a few quick things before you start: IT IS NOT EDITED. I have the flu, my best friend is mad at me, and I should be sleeping. I couldn't care less about typos. SPOILERS FOR MATT'S REAL NAME. Self ****explanatory** **THE SECTION IN ITALICS IS A RANDOM FLASHBACK. Sorry, it really is random. THIS STORY IS GETTING ****REPETITIVE ****AND BORING. I'm sorry, I'm trying to fix that! THE CHARACTERS ARE OOC. Shoot me now. I FAIL AT LIFE AND EVERYTHING IN IT. Yes, I know that. **

* * *

L ran a hand through his wild, black hair. He was wandering the empty halls of the orphanage, waiting for the classes to be let out. After he paced the same hall for the fifth time, he could wait no longer, and barged into the classroom housing his two successors.

The whole class looked up at him in unison. His eyes scanned the confused and excited faces for the only two he was looking for. They barreled into him before he could see them.

"Ryuuzaki!" Near gasped, arms tight around the detectives waist. "You're... you're alive..."

L put his arms loosely around the white haired boy, and said nothing, only stood like that.

He felt another pair of arms encircle him and turned his head to look down at Mello. "We were so scared."

L chuckled. "I was too."

L was aware of the rows of astonished eyes on him and the two kids he embraced. "Maybe we should take this elsewhere?"

Mello and Near nodded and followed him out the door. The walked behind L silently as he lead them down the halls and up the stairs to his bedroom. He shut the door behind them, and took a seat on the chair, gnawing on his thumb.

"I have made contact with Kira."

The two boys gasped, eyes widened. L continued. "He tried to kill me, but killed the decoy instead, meaning that he can kill without contact." L shook his head. "I've also determined that he is in Japan. I will be heading there soon."

"When?!" Mello asked.

"I'm not sure. Soon, though."

"But..."

"I'm sorry."

"Can't you at least stay for my birthday?" Mello cried, not wanting to focus on the more significant, and more painful, things.

L turned his eyes to the ceiling. "It is in... three days?" He asked. "I can make you no promises, but I'll try."

Near, who had been silent up to this point, spoke, his eyes turned from L and Mello. "Do you think..."

"That I'll die?"

Near nodded.

"It is a possibility."

Near gulped. If it was dangerous, he didn't want L to go. But at the same time he knew he had too. He forced the threatening tears back, not wanting to cry in front of L, or Mello for that matter. That night had been enough for him.

"I need you two to be strong. The world is falling into Kira's clutches, and we must stop this. Even if I must sacrifice my life to do it." His obsidian gaze was piercing, as he looked intensely down at the duo. "And if I die before Kira is brought to justice, I trust that my  
successor will risk the same."

"I'm not afraid of death!" Mello said, a trace of triumph in his voice. "If you fail, Ryuuzaki, I will gladly die if I can bring Kira down with  
me."

L smiled slightly. He leaned forward, opening his arms for a hug. The two kids happily obliged, and ran into his arms. He held them close for a moment, before pulling away. "You should get back to class." He said quietly. Mello nodded, looked at L a moment longer, and walked out the door. Near still stood there, silent.

"Near..."

"I..." Near looked up at L. He wasn't sure what to say. He felt L's lithe fingers on his head.

"I'll miss you when I leave."

"You'll visit, right?" Near asked. He didn't care if he sounded childish. He was a child, no matter how much as he wanted to deny it, how much he wished he wasn't.

"If I can. When I get there, I hope to get a few suspects and narrow them down and finally solve this case. I hope it wont take long, but it may last for years. This is a person who can kill without contact. I'll come if I ever have the chance."

Near hesitated, but after a moment, he turned and walked out the door, without a glance back.

- - -

The day of Mello's thirteenth birthday came, and he was having a small party. L had kept his promise and was staying for the day. He had baked a cake the night before, and it was sitting proudly on the table, looking absolutely delicious. A few kids loitered in the room, while others were outside, playing. Near sat in the corner, holding his gift for Mello in his lap. L was currently winning at a board game that he was playing with three other kids. Near eyed the growing pile of gifts in the corner, and knew his would be one of many.

We was so lost in thought, that he didn't even notice L coming and sitting beside him until the older man spoke.

"You should be more observant, Near."

Near blinked out of his reverie and looked at L. "I'm sorry, just thinking it all."

"You must learn to think and look at the same time. It is dangerous to become literally lost in thought."

Near nodded, and cast a glance at the kids at the party. "I didn't know that Mello had so many friends."

L stared at the party too. "They're probably here for cake." He stated with a smile. Near chuckled.

Silence settled upon them, and Near was happy with practicing how to think intently and keep aware of what was happening around him, when L broke it.

"I'll be leaving tonight, after the party."

Near swallowed. "So soon?"

"Yes, I must."

"Did ever consider that Kira might have left Japan after you confronted him?" Near asked, curling his finger around the red ribbon on the box.

"Yes, I have a list of suspects and have made sure that none have purchased any plane or boat tickets out of Japan. I am sure that they are all still in the Kantou region."

"Who are your suspects?"

"I'm sorry, Near, I can disclose that information, especially here."

Near nodded. What could he do with the information that L couldn't, anyway?

The party ended after a few hours. Mello opened all the gifts that had accumulated and eyed the royal blue box that Near clutched in his hands. He decided not to ask. The kids had cake, hugged Mello, and left.

Near tucked the present into his pocket and followed Mello and L outside, where Watari was waiting to take L to the airport.

L turned to Mello first, as he always did.

"Happy birthday, Mello."

Mello nodded, smiling despite the fact that L was leaving. "Thanks for staying until my birthday."

L reached out and ruffled the blondes hair affectionately.

"13, eh? You're a teenager now. Do you feel different?" L asked with a kind smile, coming off like a father. Mello thought for a second.

"No."

L chuckled and turned to Near. Mello didn't leave like he usually did. Instead, he lingered off to the side.

Near glanced at him nervously. He'd been planning to tell L how he felt before he left, but with Mello still with them, he couldn't say anything.

"Near..." L said quietly, and crouched down to be level with the boy.

L blinked slowly.

"You have something you want to say?" It could barely be considered a question.

Near nodded. "But now is not the time."

L's eyes flickered in the general direction of Mello. Near bowed his head slightly.

"I see." L mumbled, putting his thumb to his lips. "Perhaps another time, then."

He stretched out his arms and pulled Near into a hug. His lips next to Near's ear, and Near heard him take a breath as if to speak. He held it for a second before exhaling slowly, obviously changing his mind.

He stood up abruptly.

Near looked at him, confused, though his blank expression didn't show it.

"Goodbye Near, Mello. Until we meet again."

He climbed into the car, watching the two kids as they shrank from view.

Watari chose this time to speak.

"Ryuuzaki," he said.

"Yes, Watari-san?"

"What you're doing is dangerous."

"I know that." L sighed. "Haven't we had this conversation before?"

"Then why, pray tell, are you doing it?"

L was quiet for a second.

"Tell me, Watari, have you ever been in love?"

Watari glanced in the rear view mirror, glanced into the emotionless black eyes that met him there.

"Yes, I have had and lost a few loves in my lifetime."

"Would you sat that you felt willing to do anything for them while you felt that way?"

"Yes, I suppose I would have."

L turned his eyes out the window, to watch the tinted shadows of houses go by.

"So you have loved. Then you must surely know how I feel."

"For Near?"

L sighed. "Yes. He's that first person to find a way into my heart."

"So you are throwing better judgment to the wind for a crush? Risking your life for a fleeting emotion?"

"No," L said coldly, turning his eye back to the mirror. Watari flashed him a confused look.

"I'm doing it for my love. I'm doing it to live."

- - -

_Mail Jeevas sat in his bedroom, alone. He could hear his parents screaming, him mother's voice shrill and piercing through the walls. His father's voice was a baritone, rumbling the floor with tremors._

_Matt was a mute._

_Well, not in the "can't speak" way, in the " I wont speak" way. He hadn't said a word in eight months._

_Instead, he listened to people speak, and marveled in their acute differences._

_His mother was hysterical. Her voice was racked with sobs, too thick with tears and so high anger you could barely make out what she was saying._

_His father was drunk, and the words he spoke were slurred with alcohol. He'd never been a good speaker, he never knew what to say. So he resorted to physical contact, to violence._

_Mail's eyes were wide. Not with sadness, or shock, or even fear. But with wonder and fascination. People were so very different._

_He heard his mother being thrown into the wall. Heard her screaming in pain and despair. She formed no more words, only sounds of hatred and pain. Animalistic sounds from before humans were humane._

_His father replied to her wordless wails._

"_Shut up, woman! Shut up!"_

_He roared. Her voice went higher than his, soaring over the trees and singing, "Why? Why me?"_

_But the bird wasn't fast enough. Wasn't high enough. For his fathers voice was like a lion. A beast crashing through the forest, it's roar so deep an deafening that it stunned the bird and sent to spiraling back to earth._

_When the winged creature neared him, the lion struck, and once again, his mother met with brittle dry wall._

_Mail reached for his Gameboy and switched it on. The music for Pokemon red version burst from the tiny speakers in the back and did nothing to drown out the fight in the living room._

_Even as his parents raged outside his door, he stored each screamed and rage filled word. When his mothers voice faded out and became fickle, Mail grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1 before stretching the cord to it's limit and trapping it outside the door, thankful that his sister wasn't home. He was sure that the magnitude the voices were at, the dispatcher could hear them._

_Minutes later, sirens blared as police cars sailed into the driveway and Mail never saw his father again._

_His mother, however, he saw a few times afterward. But she was frail and psychotic, and deemed unfit to care for her son a daughter._

_Merill._

_Merill, Mails younger sister, was deaf. Thinking back on it he believes that may be why he loves sound so much, because she could never hear a thing._

_He remembered when he had caught the Pokemon, Merill. He had been ecstatic, and jumped to his feet, eager to show the only person he cared for that there was already a Pokemon named after her, and he could stop nicknaming them._

_Her eyes lit up and she signed frantically to him before forgetting all that and throwing her arms around him. Mails smiled into her hair, which was a few shades darker than his._

_It had been about two weeks until her sixth birthday when the two kids had been removed from the family. They were sent to live at their grandmothers while their lives were being sorted out. Merill and Mail didn't see much of each other, for they were always doing somewhere, doing something different._

_Mail didn't know what was happening, but he knew that nobody wanted him, that his whole family was being ripped apart and that he would never see Merill again._

_Bags packed before the sun was even up, Mail stood next to his sister, clutching her to his side._

"_Where ever she goes, I'm going with her!" His said forcefully, his voice scratchy from unuse, and narrowed his eyes._

"_She's going to a special place." The woman cooed, smiling, not grasping how important this moment of speaking was._

"Don't _treat me like a _kid_!" He yelled._

_Merill stared up at him with wide eyes. She knew that something big was happening if her brother was speaking. She tugged on his sleeve and he looked at her and sighed before kneeling in the dew soaked grass._

"What's going on?_" she signed., her wide brown eyes confused._

"They're taking us away from each other._" He signed back. Her eyes filled with tears._

"They can't, they--_" She started, but Mail grabbed her hands, effectively quieting her. He pulled a card out of his pocket, and slipped it between her hands._

_He released her hands and held his up, waiting for her to look at him._

"I can't go where you're going. You can't go where I'm going. I promise you, Merill, when I'm older I'm going to find you and take you with me. But for now, we have to go our separate ways._"_

_Tears were streaming down her face now, and tears threatened Mail as he continued._

"Never forget me. Someday, we will be reunited._"_

_Merill swallowed and nodded before throwing herself into a hug. Mail embraced her back, whispering promises in her ear,  
knowing she'd never hear them._

_The people sent him to a foster family. He stayed there for a week before running away. It wasn't that it was a bad family-- they were nice, always kinds, never harsh. But that's not what Mail wanted. He'd never fulfill his promise if he was wasting away in some small town, being babied by people who would never push him hard enough._

_When he was found, they tried to make him go back._

"_We'll find a new family for you!" They said, "But please don't do this again!"_

_Mail looked them in the eyes and told them he didn't want that. He didn't want a cozy home where he would grow soft. "Besides, I already _have_ a family. I don't want a new one!"_

_So they sent him to an orphanage._

_Like most orphanages, it wasn't the Taj Mahal, but it was good enough. It was there they discovered he was a genius._

_They watched him, observed him, gave him an I.Q. Test_

_It was 176._

_After that, he was on another plane, this time to Britain. Whammy's house. A place for geniuses. _

_He became a new person there, wanting to leave the past behind and be strong enough to care for his sister when he found her._

_There, he became determined._

_- - -_

"_Ryuuzaki?" Matt asked, gripping the door frame. L turned his eyes on the boy._

"_Yes?"_

"_Could you look someone up for me?"_

_L contemplated it. "Yes, come in."_

_Matt closed the door and walked lightly across the room, sitting on the ground beside L._

"_Merill Jeevas." He said quietly to L, who had his fingers poised on the keyboard._

_Matt watched with innate fascination as the computer searched the database. It stopped suddenly, complete, and three Merill Jeevas' popped on the screen._

_Matt spotted her instantly._

"_Her!" He gasped, and pointed to a young girl. L moved over to give Matt a better look at the screen._

_Matt pushed his goggles up on his forehead and read quickly, everything it had to say. His hands gripped the desk so hard it hurt, but he didn't care._

"_D-Deceased?!" He gasped._

"_Meningitis." L murmured, peering at the page._

"_Deceased?!" Matt exclaimed again , unable to believe it. L said nothing._

_Matt got to his feet and ran to the door, refusing to believe she was dead._

- - -

The next day, after Mellos party, he lay on his bed, trying not to think. There was nothing he could his could do to keep his mind off Merill, of Mello, off of how alone he was. He was just sitting there, hating everything, when he heard something being slid under the  
door. He leaned up on his elbows and eyed the manilla envelope next to the door.

He got off the bed and picked it up, looking at it.

"To: Matt

From: Ryuuzaki"

It read on the front. Matt went back and opened it up. He saw a white envelope among some paper.

"Matt," the letter inside began, "I'm sorry for what happened yo your sister. I know that I liked to know what to my family, so I thought  
you'd want to know what happened to yours.

-Ryuuzaki"

Matt looked back in the envelope to see that the papers were printed off. Medical records and police records and articles. He was surrounded by the past of his family, by what had become of his flesh and blood.

Tears brimmed his eyes. Here, before him, was everything he wanted to know.

- - -

"Near." Near turned at the sound of his voice. Did Mello see what had gone on between them? Did Mello know?

"Yes?"

"You glow."

Near quirked an eyebrow at him. "I _glow_?"

"Yes. In the moonlight. It reflects off you."

Near looked down at his sleeve, but he couldn't see it."

"You look nice. Angelic."

Near looked back at Mello, surprised. Was this really the Mello he knew?

"Mello--"

"Your gift. When are you going to give it to me?" Mello pointed at Nears pant leg, where the outline barely showed.

Near, still stunned by the angel comment, looking down at his pants. Realizing what Mello meant, he fished it out and handed it to him.

"Happy birthday. Have fun."

Then he walked off, deciding to sleep off the pain in his heart.

Mello eyed the jewelry box sized gift before ripping off the wrapping eagerly. Just as he expected, under the paper was a silver box. He pulled the top off, wondering what Near could have given him.

Inside, laying on some paper, was a puzzle piece.

Mello blinked down at it, before picking it up and turning it over. Finding nothing significant on it, he dropped it in his pocket and looked at the paper. It was on the back that he found his answer.

"_Mello,_

_I'm willing to bet money that you are confused right now. Worry not, for I am going to explain this game-- in due time. For  
now, keep looking for the next piece._

_In parting, I leave you with this clue:_

_Dissect the vows."_

Mello stared at the paper long after he finished reading. He had to _dissect vows_? Which vows?

Despite himself, he let a smile graced his lips. "_Fine,_" he thought, "_I'll play your game, Near._"

He went back into the orphanage, cold from the chill in the air. Fall was definitely on the way.

- - -

The next morning, Mello sat at one of them many tables, shoving bacon down his throat at an alarming rate, and staring at the slip of paper Near had given him.

Matt sat down next tom him, his eyes slightly puffy. Mello didn't notice this, for he was too busy taking in every letter on the paper.

"What are you doing?"

"Eating, thinking," Mello replied quickly.

"What's that?" Matt asked, referring to the paper.

"Near's birthday gift. I have to figure it out."

"What does it say?"

"'Dissect the vows.'"

"Wow, vague. What do you think it means?"

"I'm assuming the marriage vows--"

"Whoa, whoa, what? He wants to marry you?!"

"What?! No!" Mello spat, finally looking up, "I think the next clue just has to do with the words!"

Matt smiled sheepishly. "Well, what are the wedding vows?"

Mello cleared his throat. "_I, take you name here, to be my wife or husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part._"

Matt leaned back and considered the question.

"Maybe he's talking about 'in sickness and in health'?"

Mello shook his head. "Why would he say that?"

Matt shrugged. "I dunno. He's always pretty uptight around doctors."

"Yeah, I guess, when he was in the hospital he always seemed uncomfortable."

Matt chewed on his spoon. "You know what? You're right. I had to watch him one day when he was unconscious, and when he woke up, he was really tense. I just chalked it off as being, just, you know, sick." Matt barely had time to finish as Mello jumped up and snatched the paper off the table.

"Do you mind if I have the rest of your bacon?" Matt called after him as Mello ran out of the room. Mello yelled something back that Matt couldn't understand. Deciding it was a yes, he pulled the other's plate closer.

- - -

Mello slid into the infirmary and instantly began looking around. The nurse wasn't at her desk, so Mello figured she must be with a student. He quickly got to scrutinizing her office.

He was under the desk when he heard a confused but strict voice say, "What _are_ you _doing_?"

Mello, forgetting momentarily that he was under a metal desk, sat up abruptly, knocking his head hard. He yelped in pain and crumpled on the floor, his hands going instinctively to his head.

"Are you okay?" The nurse gasped, making her way to Mello. "Gosh, I didn't mean to startle you."

Mello just groaned.

- - -

"_... and that's why I wear goggles._" Matt finished his essay with a dramatic dot just as the teacher announced that the time was over.  
He ripped the paper out of his notebook and passed it up before putting his stuff away, eager for lunch. He felt rather than heard Near's presence at his desk.

"Where's Mello?" Near asked.

"Would you believe it? The nurses office. He almost knocked himself out looking for your next clue."

Near raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"No, I'm serious!" Matt defended himself quickly. "He was under the desk, the nurse came in, and he jumped."

Near sighed. "Why would I hide something under the desk?"

Matt smirked. "I don't know." His sentence was punctuated by the ringing of the bell. He grabbed his back pack and joined Near in the hall.

"So, you know about the game?"

"Yep. Mello and I tell each other everything."

"So why haven't you told him you like him?"

Matt sputtered indignantly, eyes wide, ready to deny the accusation. But the look he got from Near stopped him. He looked up and down the hall, seeing the it was emptying quickly.

"Well," he said quietly, "quite simply because he likes you and--" Matt cut himself off by slapping a hand over his mouth. Nears eyebrow raised, but his eyes remained blank.

"_Crap! I just slipped Mello's secret _to the one it was about!"

"Does he now?"

Matt was motionless.

"So, let me see if I get this straight; you like him, he likes me--"

"--and you like L!" Matt spat, determined to get off the subject of his treason.

For a split second a flicker of emotion shot across Near's face, but he quashed it.

"Why would you think that?"

Matt let a small smile cross his lips.

"I'm an expert at reading people. You hide it well, but not well enough. He probably knows as well, I mean, he _is_ trained to see that."

Near's face paled before coloring a light pink.

Matt chuckled. "What? You thought he couldn't tell?"

Near did nothing.

"Er.. what's wrong?"

"If he knows, then why hasn't he said anything?"

Near looked up, his eye moist and searching for an answer, something the he just didn't know.

Matt suddenly felt like he did a very, very bad thing.

"Near.." Matt murmured, completely at a loss for what to do.

Near looked away. "No, I know. He he knows and didn't say anything, than that means he obviously doesn't--"

Near was cut off as Matt pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around the lithe boy, comforting him like he did years ago for his sister.

"It could mean a lot of things. Don't assume the worst."

He awkwardly patted Near on the back, hoping that his words did something to help the lamenting boy. He tensed a little when he heard him sniffle.

He opened his mouth to further comfort him, but decided at the last minute that humor was his specialty, and that anything else would be fake and meaningless.

"You know what they say about assuming?"

He felt Near shake his head.

"It makes an ass out of me and you."

He felt light tremors of Nears body as he laughed slightly. Matt smirked. "And now we know that you have more than one emotion: Emo, blank, and now trying not to laugh at the red haired boys totally hilarious joke."

Near leaned back and glared at "The Red Haired Boy." Ne noticed thankfully that the hall was empty. Imagine of someone had been around to witness his episode? He mentally shuddered at the thought.

Without dismissing himself, he walked away, toward the bathroom. He heard Matt trotting after him

"What, no 'thank you'?"

Near slowed to a stop and took a deep breath. He turned around and flashed Mat a real honest-to-God smile.

"Thank you for cheering me up."

Matt swallowed, taken off guard. "N-no problem..."

- - -

Mello sat up, keeping a tanned hand on the icepack that someone had placed on his head.

"Ugh... God.. My head hurts..."

"Oh, you're awake!" Mello looked up to see the plump nurse in the doorway. She was wearing a greenish blue smock with pandas on it,  
and her hair was done up in a messy bun. A mixture of relief and confused anger mingled in her eyes.

"Now that you're conscious, may I ask why you were under my desk?"

The throbbing pain in Mello's head was almost too much to bear.

"Nng, I was looking for a clue.." He muttered, squinting against the bright light.

"A clue?"

"Yeah, from Near."

"Oh! I have that for you!" The nurse exclaimed before walking off. Mello blinked at the now empty doorway, confused as he heard her pull open a drawer. She click-clacked her way back to Mello. She set a box on his lap.

"He asked me to give this to you if you ever asked for it. Would you like some Tylenol?" She inquired when Mello grimaced, getting in to a more comfortable position.

He nodded, wishing instantly he hadn't as his headache pounded with full force. While she was gone, he opened the box. Inside was another puzzle piece and some paper. He grabbed the paper and read the words written there.

"'_In sickness and in health'-- good job. I'm mildly surprised you figured it out--_" Mello scowled at the note and promised that Near would get quite the punishment for insulting him, "_So now, here is your next clue:_

_Vopoju ieg gsih pymgeypu, ymw aie dopp vomw gsu mucg xpei. Hi suju, quxiwuw. 'Piiq om gsu gil iv gsu zygajiin du xjaoq om.'_"

Mello blinked down at the paper.

"The hell? What the crap is that?"

The nurse chose the moment to come in with his Tylenol. "What's that say?" she asked, handing the water and pill to Mello.

"Near's clue. It's in a different language."

"There is no way that is an actual language."

Mello just stared down at it for a moment, before popping the pill in his mouth and taking a swig of water, washing down the dusty white drug. The nurse walked off, but Mello barely noticed.

"What the hell is this?" He muttered.

* * *

**I don't really have much to say, except that I'm sick and high school is hard. I don't have anytime to write in school like I used to, and I'm very sorry. And I'm sitting here with the flu, and I had the worst day ever and I hope you liked the chapter, even if it sucked. Again, I am sorry. So very sorry.**

**-Hybrid**


	14. Chapter 14

Near tapped an insistent tune with his pencil. The setting sun was blinding, and cast a pink-orange light into his room.

"_I wonder what L's up to.._"

- - -

"_Bang!_"

"Huh?! What was that for?!"

L pouted. "If I were Kira, you would be dead."

- - -

Near sighed. Whatever it was, he hoped L missed him.

- - -

L sighed. "_Near and Mello would have gotten this by now, and they're not even old enough to buy porn._"

- - -

Near shrugged, rolling his sore shoulders. He ran a hand through his curls and went to dinner.

- - -

"Wazzup, Ghost?" Matt sang, slamming his tray down. Near flinched from the resonating crack of the plastic on the table.

"Nothing."

Needless to say, Mello followed Matt to the table, but thankfully for Near, set his tray down with much less vigor than Matt.

"Jesus," he hissed, "I still have a headache, remember?!"

Matt smiled sheepishly. "Oh, I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind."

Mello muttered something about just where Matt could shoves his tray, and started to eat.

"Don't you two have something better to do than to bother me?"

The two looked at Near, then at each other.

"Psh," Matt scoffed, violently stabbing a carrot. "_Bothering_ you? I thought we were friends."

"Friends?" Near asked, confused.

"Yeah. Ever heard of them?" Mello taunted.

"I've... never had a friend before."

"Yes you have." Mello accused, pointing his fork at Near.

"Yeah. _Us_." Matt finished. Then he turned to Mello. "Look at him! Here we are, pouring our hearts out, telling him our secrets, confessing our hopes and dreams and fears and he doesn't even acknowledge that that we're his friends. The audacity."

"God Near," Mello continued, "You're so insensitive."

"I didn't know.." Near mumbled, defending himself.

"Psh, whatever." Matt looked at Mello. "What do you think we should do to the traitor?"

Mello replied, "Ignore him." He blatantly turned his head away from Near.

"Guys..." A smile played on his lips.

"Do you hear something?" Matt asked.

"No, nothing at all."

"Hmm, must have been my imagination."

"I'm sorry." Near finally muttered.

"Oh Mello, did you happen to hear the sound of a boy apologizing to his best friends?"

"I think I did, Matt," Mello said with a nod, "but I can't be sure. Maybe if he would say it again..."

"I'm sorry!"

"Ah-- Yes, I'm sure I heard it that time!"

The two boys turned back to Near, their eyes dancing with amusement. Near was blushing and smiling and not in control of himself at all.

"Hey, you know we have a field trip tomorrow, right?"

Near swallowed a mouthful of milk, feeling rather light hearted. "Yeah, to the museum."

"Have you been there before?" Mello asked, pulling out a bite sized Hershey bar.

"No," Matt and Near replied at the same time.

"We're staying the night there." Mello said quickly before Matt could yell jynx.

"Wait-- what-- seriously?"

"Yeah. Cool, no?"

"Isn't it supposed to be haunted?" Near asked, twirling spaghetti on his fork. Who the hell paired carrots with marinara?

Matt gulped, paling.

"Haunted? Like, by ghosts?"

"No Matt," Mello sighed, "flower children."

Near snorted with laughter, choking on the bite of over cooked noodles he'd just taken.

Matt and Mello laughed at Near laughing, and soon they were all laughing so hard that they couldn't remember why they were laughing.

The whole cafeteria just stare, Kinoko scowling with jealousy.

- - -

L bit into a pink marshmallow bunny, imagining for a second it's cries of pain as the hungry L-wolf sunk it's fangs it to it. He heard Watari pouring him tea, and squashed the marshmallow to the roof of his mouth with his tongue, allowing him to talk, though his words were slurred.

"Tell meh what ya think of Matt."

"From Wammeys?"

"Uh huh."

"I think he should apply himself more."

L prodded the bunny with his tongue, melting the coarse sugar off.

"Why do you ask, sir?" Watari handed L the cup. L added the scalding liquid to the sweetened mass and swallowed them both, his tongue still burning.

"How about for a successor?"

"I don't think he would be a good L."

"Neither do I."

Watari looked at L oddly. "Then why ask me?"

L shrugged. "I just wanted your opinion." He ripped a pink bunny in half and dipped it into his tea.

"What do you think of Mello?"

"Intelligent but rash."

"And Near?"

"Very intelligent, like you, but he doesn't exert himself enough."

"Yes," L nodded, "These are my thoughts as well." He took another sip of tea. "Who would hunt Kira the best?"

Watari was quiet, thinking for the first time about the questions. After a few moments he spoke. "They would work best together."

L swished the sweetened tea around in his mouth. "Yes, I believe so too."

- - -

The next morning, Matt awoke to an excited bundle of black clothes and blonde hair on his chest.

"Mello--" he cried, the breath being knocked out of him.

"Today's the day!" Mello cheered, shaking the other boy. "We're going to the museum."

"Yes, I know, I know. Lemme sleep." Matt attempted to roll over, but Mello caught him.

"No, we have to get ready soon, don't you know that? We're leaving early!"

"Then I'll stay here." Matt groaned, glaring at Mello.

"No, you wont. You'll get up and join me for pancakes."

Matt was quiet for a second before he moaned and sat up. "Fine," he growled, "I'll get up." Mello bounced off the. He disappeared out the door, and Matt watched him go, pulling off his shirt.

- - -

All Near could see was a wall of white. His breathing was labored, like he was breathing through a pillow.

On second thought, he _was_ breathing through a pillow.

Blinking, he felt his light eyelashes brush the soft cotton. In the hall he heard the everyday rush of students. He identified Matt's and Mello's voices above the ruckus, and wondered if they were coming to wake him. He hoped not, he'd enough being buddy-buddy for one 12 hour period. Maybe he'd be social at the museum.

There was a knock at the door.

"Near, honey, are you awake?" Matt called in a high pitched voice. Near groaned.

"Matt, you make a bad woman, why not let Mello try?"

"_What_?!" Mello yelled, slamming his palm against the wood. Near smirked, happy that it was locked.

At breakfast the cafeteria buzzed with excitement, more so than usual. Only a handful of kids were going, the tops of the class. The other kids were disappointed, but still asked the lucky if they could bring back pictures. Near was mildly looking forward to the trip. Sure, the museum would be fun, better than nothing, but it was nothing to be hyperactive because of. He munched his toast and listened to the hub-bub around him, keeping his eyes in soft focus, making note of everything around him.

"You excited?" Linda asked, bouncing up to Near.

"To an extent."

"The museums haunted!" She continued, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"So I've heard." He could feel Kinoko's eyes on him, burning into his head. What was wrong with her?

"Are you scared?"

"Not really." Near admitted.

"Not at all?" Linda was either impressed or disbelieving.

"I'll have to wait and see. It's just a rumor."

"So if there really is a ghost?"

"Then I assume I'd be scared."

"Near's afraid of ghosts?"

Near and Linda looked up, and Pierre stood there, looking pleased.

Near momentarily regretted his outburst months ago.

Meeting Pierre's gaze he said, "Not particularly."

"I'm going on the trip too, so you better watch your back." He leaned closer, sneering. "I haven't forgotten."

"I'm not afraid of you." Near answered evenly.

"You will be." Pierre snarled before walking off.

Linda looked after him, then at Near, and scuttled away. Near shrugged it off. He wasn't going to be intimidated by someone who was all talk.

"Wow, Near's gonna get in a fight." Matt whistled.

"It's okay, I've fought him before. I can take him."

The look of surprise on Matt's face was priceless.

- - -

"Near! Near! What kind of dinosaur is that?"

"A pterodactyl."

"Ohh, and that one?"

"A therizinasaur."

"Wow, and that?"

"... a blue whale skeleton."

"Gosh Near, you're so smart!"

Near twisted a strand of hair so hard he ripped it from his scalp. His eyes watered.

"Near, do you know--"

"May I ask you a question?"

"O-of course."

Near stopped, removing his fingers from his hair.

"Why are you all following me?"

The three girls surrounding him fell silent.

Finally, one of them spoke. Near identified her as Annaliese. "Well, we'd always wanted to get to know you, and now that you're being social..."

"So you think that means you can just up and mob me? Please, leave me in peace." With that statement, he slunk out of the group and approached a large, tattered ancient rug. The girls loitered where he left them, whispering furiously. Near ignored them.

- - -

"Near has fangirls."

"What?"

"fangirls. He has them."

"Why?"

Matt shrugged. "I'm thinking 'cause he's being nice to us."

"Us." Mello said quietly. "Not them."

"If you're so possessive, give him a big kiss and claim ownershi— ow!"

Mello shook his hand, it still tingling after the impact with Matt's shoulder. "Not that loud, you idiot--"

The museum echoed with an ear shattered scream. Matt and Mello looked at each other before running. They were the closest to the screaming girl, and got there in seconds. A light haired girl, whom Mello identified as Talya, was on the ground, hyperventilating. An interactivity was still talking about the exhibit.

"It turned on by itself!" Talya yelled, pointing.

"Maybe you leaned against the button?" Near asked calmly. He'd turned the corner and into the cramped hallway unnoticed.

"No! No, I was nowhere near it and it just-- just turned on!"

The display quieted down, and Near's and Mello's eyes met, Mello shrugged and Near nodded.

"You okay?" Matt asked, kneeling beside Talya.

"Y-yeah, just startled, is all."

"Mmkay," Matt patted her on the shoulder before helping her to her feet. Slowly, he walked back to where Mello and Near now stood and let out a long sigh.

Mello smirked. "You're putting on a good front."

Matt shook his head. "This place is freaking haunted."

- - -

"Come on, time for lunch!"

The kids gathered in clumps in a nearly vacant room.

"Eat neatly!" An older man said, "You'll be sleeping here tonight!"

Matt, Mello, and Near sat in a triangle, eating the bland, bag lunches they'd been given.

"Dear Lord, I think my milk is curdled."

"Stop complaining, Matt, your milk is fine." Near replied before crunching a potato chip.

Mello pondered aloud, "Do you think they'll give me another apple?"

"Probably not." Near said.

"Ghosts have probably poisoned the ham in my sandwich. It's just the thing they would do." Matt continued.

"Don't be stupid."

The three kept chatting when the sound of boots interrupted their conversation.

"I see you think that hanging with the neighborhood bad boy will save your ass."

"I'm merely sitting with my friends, is that a problem?"

Pierre snorted. "You don't _have_ friends, Near."

"We're his friends." Mello said quietly, threateningly.

"Why now? You hated him. Did he promise to let you win again?"

"Feelings change." Mello growled.

"Oh, feelings?" Pierre got a cocky smirk on his face. "Are you telling me that Near is your boyfriend now?"

Near's face colored and Mello was to his feet faster than anyone could comprehend. He had Pierre by the collar of his shirt and was shaking him violently.

"He's not," Mello spat, "but even if he was, what are you, homophobic? Do you think they'll let an intolerant ass become the next L?"

Pierre started to snarl, his mouth opening in what was going to be a yell, but another shake from Mello made the yell a gargling hiss.

"Listen to me, and listen to me good. You mess with my friends, you mess with me. You think mousy Near is easy to boss around?" He leaned closer to Pierre, who gulped audibly. Near was reminded of a movie, or a cheesy book.

"Let's see how easy he is to control when I'm there."

Mello released him and took a step back. Pierre coughed and glared up at Mello.

"He's not the only one with friends!" He spat. "And you can't protect him forever!"

With that, he stumbled away, coughing.

Mello crossed his arms and smiled.

- - -

Later that night, Near lay on his stomach, half asleep when he felt an insistent tugging on the fleecy blanket covering him. He ignored it for a few moments, before moving slightly. It stopped momentarily, but started almost immediately again. He groaned and rolled over to at who was tugging.

No one was there.

Near looked at the vacant space that was pulling on his blanket.

Despite himself, fear flooded his mind and he laid back down, eyes wide. He attempted to lull himself back to sleep with the steady breathing of those around him.

He had almost calmed down the beating of his heart when a very cold breeze ghosted across the exposed skin of his face, neck and hands. Shivers raced down his spine. The breath caught in his throat. He didn't know what it was, what to do-- no one was there.

He curled up into himself, genuinely scared. He was hearing things, odd things, around the museum. Things he'd never heard before. Not the settling of the building, the creaking of exhibits. This was something else entirely.

Shakily, he reached out a hand and shook Mello awake. Mello woke with a start, blinking confusedly at Near.

"Whatd'ya want?" He slurred.

"Mello," Near whispered, eyes wide, "this place is haunted."

"Don't tell me you believe that?" Mello asked softly, the look of terror in Near's eyes spurring him into consciousness.

"I didn't, but now I have my reasons."

Near looked small and fragile under the dark blue blanket, and Mello instantly felt sympathy for him.

"What happened?" He inquired. Near shook his head.

"There was something pulling on my blanket, and I looked, and nothing was there. Then there was this sudden cold air, and now, I'm hearing things."

Mello stopped to listen. He listened to the silence for a few moments before turning back to Near, who's large, pale eyes reflected the bit of light in the room. "I don't hear any--" A thump followed by a shrill whine cut him off. His head snapped in the direction of the noise, and he strained his eyes in the darkness.

"Mello..." Near whispered. Mello shushed him and continued looking.

"Wake Matt up." He sad finally.

"Why?"

"We're going on a ghost hunt."

Near looked at Mello, and Mello stared back, completely serious.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm totally serious."

"Matt's dead scared of ghosts, remember? He's not going to help us at all."

Mello thought for a second. "He will. I'll make him."

"Why do we need him?" Near whispered hoarsely, trying to spare the poor boy.

"He has the best night vision. We'll need him."

Near sighed and rolled over, facing the contentedly sleeping Matt.

"Matt," he hissed, poking the red head. "Maatt."

"Wha?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"We're going on a ghost hunt."

Matt snapped into a sitting position, anger, fear and shock mixing on his face.

"WHA--"

"Shh!" Mello barked. Matt fell silent.

"We need you Matt."

"No way, man."

"But you see the best in the dark."

"I don't care."

"Matt--"

"No! I wont! You can't make me!"

"It's like--"

"No, no no no no no!" Matt replied, shaking his head vigorously.

"_You owe me_." Mello growled. Matt blinked.

"Oh, come on..." He whimpered, looking from Near to Mello fearfully, "don't do this to me."

"Up," the three boys got to their feet, Matt very reluctantly, and looked around. No one else appeared to be awake, and they started in the direction of the noise.

As they walked, the room got progressively darker. Near noted that Matt was shaking viciously, his eyes darting around, looking for the sources of creaks and bumps. Near felt bad that Matt had to be dragged along. They turned a corner and stopped abruptly.

"What?" Matt whispered.

"I... thought I saw something... an apparition."

Matt stiffened, paling. "Mello, can we go back, please?"

"No. Look, tell me if you can see anything."

Matt took a steadying breath before grinding his teeth together and taking a step forward. He peered around the room, looking for something that might hint at what Mello saw. He almost screamed when he caught sight of it.

"What?! What is it?!"

"It's-- it's nothing. A-all you saw were our shadows. Please,_please_ let me go back."

Mello didn't answer him. Instead, he bit gently on his tongue, wishing he had a bar of chocolate to eat. "Our shadows, huh?"

"Yes. That's it. That's all it was--"

"Then we'll just have to move deeper. Come on."

Matt wrapped his arms around his shaking body and followed.

"Are you going to be okay?" Near asked, watching Matt tense at the sound of his voice.

"No, oh God no. Why is he making me do this?"

Mello shushed them and they kept walking, the light gradually diminishing. The darker is got, the more determined Mello became, the more jumpy Matt became, and Near settled on curiosity and fear.

"Matt," Mello started quietly, grabbing his friend by the wrist, "what do you see?"

"Nothing! Mello, there's nothing. Lets go back."

"If there's nothing then why are you so.. scared... Matt?"

But Matt wasn't listening. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened to saucers, staring, fixed, on one spot.

Mello turned to look, but he didn't see anything. He looked back at Matt, but saw Near with the same look of terror.

"Me-Mello..." Near whimpered.

Mello looked behind him again, and this time he saw it.

The body bled profusely, and the blood dotted the floor and made glistening puddles on the tiles. He was swinging back and forth, his head bent at a wrong angle, the rough rope leaving angry red marks on his neck.

Mello felt Matt's hands grip his arm, and he thought about running, but he was transfixed by the rhythmic sway of the body, the rope creaking on the banister.

It was Matt who finally screamed.

His voice echoed down the hallways, waking teachers and students alike. He turned, still screaming, and pushed Near out of his way.

Near lost balance and tumbled into the pool of blood. It was warm and sticky and he was covered with it. He looked up at Mello, who hadn't moved, and shuddered.

Light flooded the room and Near squinted to see Roger who stood there, panting, with Matt peeking out behind him.

"What's happening?!" He demanded.

"Look!" Near held out his hands, attempting to show roger the blood clotting on his sleeves.

His hands were clean.

"What are you talking about?"

Mello started to try to explain what they'd seen, but the body was gone. It'd disappeared when the light came on.

Near sat on the floor, shivering.

* * *

**Oh my God. I've had this written for so long, but I never got around to typing it. Please forgive me! I have the next chapter written, and half of 16, and I'm going to try to get them up _soon_. Life is little hectic, what with high school and boys and all. I'm going to be starting a new semester tomorrow, what fun, what fun. Freshman year is half over. It's been going by so fast.  
**

**I think I might have a time skip soon. I'm totally ruining some of the story. L worked on the Kira case for two years, but I need him to work on it for four. Is that okay? And I need Near to miraculously turn 12, so if in one of the upcoming chapters if it's suddenly like, "Life passed as usual for two years. Mello, Matt and Near grew ever closer. blah blah blah." don't hate me for it. **

**SO about this chapter that is TOO short for you poor people to have to wait THREE MONTHS for it to come out.** **It's pretty much a filler. These are all pretty much fillers. Rawr. Fillers.**

**MUCH LOVE to all of those who have stuck around, and to new fans, and to EVERYONE who's put up with me for so long. You're truly amazing, all of you. Ich liebe dich. (I'm not actually taking German. I am, however, obsessed with a German band.)**

**-Hybrid **


	15. Chapter 15

"Is it true you saw a ghost?" Kinoko whispered, eyes wide with excitement.

"I don't know," Near muttered, "Maybe."

"But Mello said you fell into a puddle of blood."

Near shrugged. "It was probably a trick of lights. There were windows in there.. that would be why it disappeared when they turned the light on. It disrupted the light that was making the illusion."

Kinoko pouted. She leaned farther over the seat, fixing Near with her dark brown eyes. "There you go again, explaining things with science."

"When you can, why shouldn't you?"

"But you saw a bleeding body hanging from the ceiling! Explain _that_ with science!"

"I can't," Near admitted, turning to look out the window. He also couldn't explain the feeling of the warm blood on his skin, the stickiness as it soaked into his clothing. He could still feel it, like a filmy residue, clinging to his flesh and the cotton of his pajama's.

"Exactly!" Kinoko said proudly, "you can't!"

In the back of the bus, Mello and Matt sat together, pouring over Near's note and scrawling possible answers on a loose sheet of notebook paper.

"What if..." Mello suggested, "the A's are Y's?"

"And the Y's are A's?"

"Yeah."

"Matt wrote for a second, then looked at the piece of paper cluttered with letters and scribbles. "I think that it works."

Mello sighed in relief. "How many do we have left?"

"Four."

"Good, we're close," Mello said, rubbing his eyes, "what's next?"

"We just have the vowels. They're the ones that don't fit the pattern."

"Let me see." Mello grabbed the paper, and in one glance solved the rest of the puzzle. "E is U and I is O!" He snapped.

"Oh. Well. I'm sorry, I'm sleep--"

"I'm tired too!" Mello barked and began translating the note.

"_Figure out this language, and you will find the next clue. So here, decoded. 'Look in the bathroom we cried in.'_"

"What's that mean? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"There is nothing that I'm not--"

"I mean, I know you like the little bugger, but seriously--"

"Matt!" Mello invisible-knife stabbed the redhead in the thigh. "You will be silent."

"Y-yes master," Matt managed.

Mello clinked the pen against his teeth. "I can't wait until we get back, this game is so annoying."

Matt blinked. "I thought you liked it."

"Not particularly," Mello sighed.

Pierre say behind them, pondering what he'd just heard.

- - -

Near pushed the last piece into the appropriate place, completing the puzzle. He leaned back and admired it for a second before breaking it apart, deciding to redo it upside down.

"Hello, Near, how are you today?"

"Fine, Pierre, and you?" Near didn't even bother to look up from his task. That annoyed Pierre.

"I heard something _very_ interesting this morning on the way here."

Near remained silent, pushing the white cardboard together.

"Don't you want to know?"

"You're going to tell me regardless of whether I want to know or not."

Pierre chuckled, "Keen observation."

"No, just stating a well known fact."

Pierre walked slowly and deliberately in front of Near, sitting on the floor and making himself comfortable.

"Apparently we have a bunch of fags at our orphanage."

"Are you talking about sticks of cigarettes?" Near was almost finished with puzzle.

"I'm talking about gay people."

"Pierre, many homosexual males find that slang term extremely offensive--"

"Shut up, Near."

Near shot a quick, expressionless glance at Pierre before he shoved in the last piece and swept the white square away from him.

"There are bunch of _homosexual _retards here, and it is disgusting."

"I don't mind," Near replied, picking up a Rubix cube.

"Oh, so I'm sure you're fine knowing one of them _likes_ you."

"I don't care. There's no law against liking someone."

"My, my," Pierre hummed, smirking, "are you one of the fags?"

"I think it is unwise of you to care so much--"

"So you are!"

"I never proved or disproved your statement."

"God _damn_ you!" Pierre cocked his arm back and swung.

Near was expecting this, but not so soon. The fist connected with his jaw and his head snapped the side. Pain exploded in his mouth and skull, and he fingered the tender area, turning his eyes on Pierre. The other boy, bigger, meaner and presumably older, grabbed Near by his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

"There's no one to protect you now," he hissed, watched Near eye the door.

Pierre's knee hit him square in the stomach, and Near coughed hard.

- - -

"Look for a small, silver box or a puzzle piece." Mello commanded, opening a stall door.

"'kay," Matt replied, checking under the sinks.

"So what do think Pierre is going to do Near?"

"Huh?"

"You know, Pierre was all hating on Near, picking a fight. What do you think will happen?"

"Pierre's a douche."

"Inarguably, but that doesn't answer my question."

"I don't think Pierre will try anything."

- - -

Near lashed out, the heel of his stockinged foot hitting Pierre in the side.

"Ow! Jesus!"

Pierre threw himself at Near, throwing punches and slamming his fists into Near whenever he felt the pale flesh beneath his clenched fingers. Near scratched and fought, and maybe even bit Pierre once or twice, but he was sore and bleeding and covered in bruises. His eyes were swelling, his lip split. His body ached, his arms, shoulders and chest especially.

He swiped at Pierre once more, hitting his shoulder pitifully before letting his hand fall limp to his side. Pierre's beatings were growing less furious, and his swearing was lessening. He was panting and gasping and Near aware that he himself had barely made a sound.

"God fucking damn you, Near," he hissed, "even when you're getting the life beaten out of you, you're stoic."

Near wanted to say something, but he didn't trust his voice to work. He tasted blood.

Pierre delivered one last punch to his rib, causing Near to exhale sharply, unable to draw in breath, and left.

Near whimpered.

- - -

"Where the hell--"

_Crish-- crack-- bang-- tink!_

"... oops."

"Matt?!" Mello threw open the graffiti-covered door and looked at where Matt stood on the sink, holding one corner of the long mirror up, whereas the other end settled ungracefully on the counter.

"I found it..." he announced timidly, holding up the thin box.

After putting the mirror back, the two boys left the bathroom and started down the hall. Mello opened the box and was pulling out the note when they passed a slightly open door. From behind the door he heard ragged breathing. He pushed the door open and stepped in, finding the beaten Near crumpled on the floor.

"Near!" He yelled, dropping to his knees. Matt was right behind him. "What happened?!"

"Pierre..." Near opened his eyes, but the light hurt, so he closed them again.

"Pierre did this to you?"

A nod.

"That bastard!"

Another nod.

"When I get my hands on him--"

"Please don't." His voice was weak-- had Pierre gotten his hands around his neck?-- but forceful. "If you do something to him, he'll just want revenge again, and I might end up worse."

Mello sighed. "I should teach you how to fight."

"Please do, but for right now I'm bleeding and have lost the feeling in my left arm,. Mind taking me to the infirmary?"

Mello scooped Near up, and Matt ran to keep the door open. The sight spurred a few odd looks, and Matt played Police Officer and ushered people away.

"Nothing to see here, ladies, nothing to see. Move along now, move along."

Mello held Near to his chest. "Do you have any broken bones?"

"Not to my knowledge. He didn't hurt me _that _bad."

"You look pretty damn hurt."

"Just a little bloody is all."

They arrived at the nurses office, who dropped her ham sandwich at the sight of the small, harmed boy.

"What happened?" She gasped, getting to her feet. She lead the boys to a cot, expecting someone to explain.

"Pierre beat the crap out of him!"

"Pierre?" She asked, wetting a clothe and wiping blood from Near's lip.

"He came into the room, insulted me, and then preceded to beat me into the ground."

"Oh, you poor thing! Do you think anything is sprained or broken?"

"Unlikely, though, my wrist may be sprained."

"Which one?"

"Left."

She began to bend and twist and push on his wrist.

"Yes, pain."

"We'll splint it. Your head?"

"Was bashed a few times. I have a head ache, but nothing presumably life-threatening."

"How about your chest? Stomach?"

"He knocked the breath out of me. Nothing too bad, I can breathe fine now."

"You're sure in bad shape." She whistled, checking his ankles and knees. "Never would've that thought Near would get into a fight."

"I wouldn't call it a fight, exactly." He closed his eyes, which were swollen and purple and hurt to close. "More like a torture session."

She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "How did it happen?"

Near sighed, his head throbbing dully. "Uhmmm... I was in a play room, and he came in and starting talking to me about homosexuals at Whammy's. When I didn't care, he became angry and defensive, accused me of being one of 'those fags', and attacked me. I fought back best I could, but..."

She nodded and started splinting his wrist.

"Pierre was such a good kid, too."

I hate to say it, but obviously not."

She laughed and handed him an ice pack for his eye. Near thanked her and put the cold plastic to his pulsing eye. His skin chilled within moments and he shuddered.

"Pierre's a bastard!" Mello seethed, forgotten in the corner with Matt at his side. Near looked at them with his relatively good eye.

"He could be an illegitimate child, yes."

Mello rolled his eyes. "You know I mean the insult."

"When that term was coined, being illegitimate was an insult."

"Near, shut up, you know what I mean."

The nurse clicked her way back into the room, pain killers in a little, paper cup and an ice cold bottle of water. Near took what was offered, and down the pills and some water before smiling at his two lingering friends.

"Thank you," he mumbled with a smile. Mello and Matt smiled back and slipped out noiselessly. They found themselves in the hallway once again, and started walking back to their bedrooms, Mello fuming with intense enthusiasm.

"I'm going to kick Pierre's ass."

"Near asked you not to."

"Near was obviously not in a state of mind to be thinking clearly. If he had been thinking normally, he would have asked me to hunt Pierre down and knock his teeth out."

"What if you had something to take your mind off of Near's attack?" Matt inquired with a mischievous smirk.

"I don't have anything that will make me think of something less than revenge."

"How about... this?" Matt opened his hand to reveal the silver clue box on his palm.

"The clue! I forgot about that!" Mello snatched it away and ran the rest of the way to his room. He flung himself onto his desk chair and opened the box. The note and the puzzle piece were on top of the customary square chunk of cotton.

"_I suppose the last clue wasn't so hard, the code was child's play. But I do believe the hiding place made up for it, yes? This next one will be more difficult, not because the clue is especially hard, not even the hiding place is tricky, but you'll have to go on a quest of sorts to get there. I'll leave you with this parting gift: Why not converse with Kinoko? She holds your next clue, though you might have to talk it out of her. Au revoir!"_

Mello blinked down at the clue, handwritten in smudge-less black pen. He blinked again. Matt read the clue over his shoulder as Mello reread it to himself, hoping he'd missed something.

"We're supposed to just talk to her? Just walk up, have a normal conversation, and see if she says anything useful?"

"We could ask her if she knows anything. Near may have gotten her in on this." Matt replied.

"No, that'd be way too easy. She's probably oblivious to this." Mello sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back. "I guess we have no choice but to talk to her."

- - -

"Why, hello there Kinoko. May we have a minute of your time?" Kinoko looked up from the math homework she was working on and at the two boys: Matt standing there, smiling invitingly, and Mello scouring the note for a detail he might have missed.

"Sure, I suppose. Why?"

"Oh, no reason... Just thought that maybe we should come by and see how you are." Matt continued, sitting across from her, Mello stumbling into the seat between them, mouthing the words to the unusually long note.

"I'm fine," she replied briskly, eying Mello wearily, "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, nothing," Matt laughed, waving off the question, "he gets like this. So, Kinoko, what do you like to do?"

Kinoko returned her gaze to Matt. "You know, you two are really freaking me out."

"Why would he end the note in French?" Mello mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Kinoko asked, scooting her chair away from the blonde.

"Nothing!" Matt sang, leaning over the table, closer to Kinoko. "Anyway, your hobbies?"

"I don't know... I like to paint?"

"Fascinating. Tell me more about it!"

"I.. er... I like color. I paint a lot of... happy... scenes. What is he obsessing over?"

Matt smiled. "Actually, I guess I could talk to you about that. Near, Mello and I are involved in a... scavenger hunt, if you will, and Near make brief mention of you in this clue. Do you have any idea why he would?"

Kinoko shook her head. "Sorry, no. I have no idea what you're talking about. Can I see the note?"

Matt clasped his hands together, and managed to sadly condescending. "I'm afraid not--"

"Kinoko, do you speak French?!" Mello cut in, looking up abruptly.

Taken off guard, Kinoko jumped, slapping the table and yelping, "Yes! Yes, I'm learning!"

"Is Near learning French?!"

"He's in my class!"

"Has he done anything weird lately?"

"I- I don't know!"

"Has hidden anything in the classroom?"

"I'm not sure--"

"_Has he given anything strange to anyone?!_"

"The teacher! He gave a chemistry book to the teacher!"

"_Thank you so much for your cooperation,_" He sounded more maniacal than gracious. Standing up quickly, and with enough force to knock the chair over, he started down the hall. "Come on, Matt!"

Blinking after his friend with an amused smile, he nodded at Kinoko, "A charming chat this has been. Let's get together again sometime soon." And with that he was up and after Mello, leaving Kinoko a tad frightened and mighty confused.

- - -

"Chemistry book?" she asked, blinking down at the two boys.

"Yes, Near gave it to you recently?"

She placed a contemplative finger to her lips. "I think I may remember. Just a second, let me see if I 'ave what you are looking for." She walked to her desk and pulled the drawer open with a jerk and squeak. There was the soft sound of shifting papers, and the roll of pencils across the metal bottom, until she let out an enthusiastic and accented, "Ah-hah!" and held the book in the air in sweet triumph. "Yes, yes, I remember now. 'e told me that if you come looking for a clue, I am to give it to you."

"Thank you!" Mello gasped, and took the heavy book in his hands.

The teacher clapped her hands together happily. "You are very welcome! I 'ope you figure it out!"

- - -

Mello sat alone as his desk. The clue and chemistry book sat open in front of him.

He stared at them.

He had no idea where to even begin. The book was hundreds of pages; and even if he read it cover to cover, he had no idea what he was looking for.

He flipped through the glossy pages, looking for scribbles in the margins and highlighted sentences, but found nothing. The book was new and pristine and looked untouched.

He crossed his arms and thought.

Somewhere in that book was his answer, but of course Near wouldn't make it easy. Near wanted him to think, to use his mass of grey matter and really get into it.

French. Was that just supposed to get the book, or is there more to it? Should he be looking for French phrases within the book?

But... no, Near would be more creative than that. Near was a genius, albeit a strange one, and Mello knew the boy well enough to know that Near was not going to make his obvious.

He thought. He thought and thought. Should he go talk to Kinoko again? No, Near wouldn't use the same trick twice.

This was difficult.

Mello skimmed through the chemistry book, replaying all of what happened. The mirror, the interview with Kinoko, the chemistry book... The conversations, everything they said, the bathroom... the mirror...

The mirror.

Mello flipped to the table of contents, then to the page that had what he hoped was the answer. All the ways mirrors have been made through time. He copied down the chemicals and contemplated them, rearranging their letters. With a cocky satisfied smirk, he pulled open a drawer of his desk and searched through the junk. He pocketed a single bobby pin and got to his feet, skittering out the door and down the hall. He climbed several flights of stairs, turned several corners, and traverser several hallways before finding himself before an average looking door.

He tried the handle; it was locked, just as he had predicted. Falling to his knees, he bent the bobby pin and jammed it in the key hole, wriggling it around. He listened intently for the _click_, and let out a small chuckle when it sounded. He turned the knob and peered in.

He clicked on the light. The room was immaculate. No one had lived in here for awhile, and they had left it spotless when they left. And yet, there was a small trail in the layer of dust on the floor, and it led right to a desk, and upon the desk, sitting must obnoxiously, was a small silver box. Mello walked over to L's ex-desk and lifted the lid of the box, extracting the note within.

"_Formidable. I hope this didn't take you too long? Your next clue is this: I hope you've been keeping them._"

Mello blinked. He set the paper back down on it's little square of cotton, and closed the box. He grabbed it and left.

What could Near mean? Keeping the clues? Yes, of course he'd been keeping the clues. He traced his steps back to his room, and, again, took a seat in his chair. He opened the drawer that had his clues, his puzzle pieces, his boxes, and read and reread every slip of paper until his eyes burned.

How was it he could form sentences out of nitrates and ions, but could not make paragraphs fit together?

He feel asleep at his desk, without a clue about the next clue.

- - -

Near was lonely.

He couldn't remember being lonely for a ridiculously long time. In fact, the last time he'd felt this emotion must have been when his parents were murdered. He was lonely and miserable and all kinds of dark emotions. He didn't talk to anyone, he didn't have the energy.

And now that he was getting deep into these memories, he recalled that Mello was the first person to extend a hand. Or, at least the first person who's hand Near didn't bite off. Mello had been there before Near, and was sick of hearing about this mysterious albino that hadn't said five words since arriving. He finally stomped up to him, arms crossed and lips curled.

"What's your problem?" Was his delicate opening line, accent thick.

Near merely gazed down at his building blocks. He wouldn't give this rude individual the satisfaction.

"Well?"

Near looked up. Eyes met. Silence ensued.

Finally, "I'm a recently orphaned child. What do you think my problem is?"

"Why don't you just get over it?"

Near stared.

"What, you think you're the only orphan at an orphanage? So vanity is disgusting."

Near felt like glaring, but didn't want to expend the energy on it. He merely continued to look up and Mello with a blank but you-effing-idiot look. "You have no idea what I've gone through."

"And you don't know what happened to me," Mello retorted, "but I got the hell over it."

Near felt anger rise like a balloon, two ribs below his heart. "I don't believe you had to go through anything near as bad as what I did. I assume you lost your parents in a house fire? Stolen in the night by the mob, to pay off gambling debts?"

Mello's eyes narrowed dangerously. When he spoke, he spoke in a language Near didn't understand. Russian, he assumed, according to the blondes accent.

It was a whole year before Near found out what he said.

Out of three words, only one wasn't outrageously offensive, and that would be "off."

But all these "heart-warming" recollections only made poor Near even lonelier, and he suck deeper into the bedspread.

Life, as he knew it, had changed. Drastically.

He was _talking_, _laughing_, being all around _social_ with Mello-- Mello, who he thought hated him. He couldn't even comprehend that his antagonist...

... liked him.

Wanted him.

Love, lust, life...

he was _ten_, and already he'd been faced with all of life's major problems.

What would be next? Drugs and alcohol? He pulled the pillow out from under his head and attempted to smother himself with it. His birthday was coming up. Eleven. A whole year. Like that would make a difference.

He gripped his pillow and rolled over. His life was entirely too complicated. He'd witnessed the rape and murder of his parents. He'd fallen in love with a man ten years his elder. He was the love interest of many a student at his wondrous orphanage. Thinking back, this had all started when he started talking. Talking got him in all kinds of trouble. So, coming to the conclusion, he decided he wouldn't talk anymore.

He even paused his even brooding-genius breathing, letting his vow of silence settle over him like snow. But before long he was laughing, hoarse and forced sounding, at the indolence of himself, and dragging his nails down the silky fabric of his pillowcase.

He was delusional of delirious or crazed or possessed by stupidity.

He snaked a porcelain pale arm out from under his covers and grabbed the first book he found on his bed table. It was a German to English dictionary. With a sigh, he began to read.

He was well into the G's when his door burst open.

"Near!" Screamed a cat-eyed blonde, "You suck!"

"Entschuldigen Sie mich?"

"Look!" Mello shoved a paper into Near's face. A bright red A was circled and glaring at him from the top.

"... I see."

"_Look closer_!"

So Near did. A little one hundred over one hundred accompanied an A, an A he now identified as his.

"... I see."

"Now, take a look at this."

Mello shoved another paper in Near's face, that had another A circled in red. This time a ninety-nine over one hundred hovered next to it.

"... I see." Near said, again.

"The only question I got wrong was this," Mello flipped through the multiple page test before pointing out one. Near saw that it was question nineteen, and that it had a red slash through it.

"What is your point?"

"You got it right, and you weren't even present the day we learned it! How _do _you do it!?"

"It was pretty obvious to me. You take x to the--"

"Ah! You are so frustrating!" Mello fumed, flailed, and exited the room in a grumbling rage. A moment later, Matt popped his head in.

"Feeling all right?"

Near shrugged.

"Want some soup?"

"Ja bitte."

- - -

**You have permission to hate me.**

**I have a boyfriend (we had our one year anniversary on the twelfth) ****and I suck**** and I've had half of this written forever and finished the last few pages tonight and oh my God here it is.**

**Typos? Yes. Sorry.  
**


	16. A new start?

Dearest readers;

As you may have noticed, I dropped off the face of the earth. My sincerest apologies. But fret no longer, for a hath returned-- with a vengeance.

As a fresh faced fanfiction writer, I promised myself I'd never let a story die. It pains me to say that I was poorly mistaken. Which is why I have decided, spontaneously, that I will revive my stories, starting with a rewrite of my personal favorite, When the Saints Come Marching In.

Prepare yourselves to read everything you just read-- only, a little different. You see, I'd continue where I left off, only... I don't know where I was going. I know what's going to happen, but I don't know what to do with all of this filler. So, a rewrite. Hopefully, it'll be better than the original.

The first couple of chapters will be up soon.

With love,

Hybrid


	17. Chapter 17

Near found himself speechless. He was in the presence of someone incomprehensible, someone extraordinary, someone he looked up to. L stood in the doorway, scrutinizing the two boys trembling before him.

"Hello," he said casually, "I am L."

Near's fingers curled around and around in his hair, hiding his nervous shaking.

"It's you..." Mello breathed next to him.

"Yes, it is I."

"Oh, my God. I can't fucking believe it."

"Language," L cautioned, his eyes still on Near. Near looked back at the man he was destined to become, at his future. He gulped.

Playing with the carpet with his toes, L started, "I'm going to ask you a question."

Near felt Mello tense beside him. Emotion flashed across Mello's face, confusion. What had he expected, that L would walk in, announce that, as the next letter in the alphabet, Mello was chosen to precede him? Near played with a smile at the idea.

L looked at the ceiling, thinking. "There are good people in this world, and there are bad people. But that in itself is too broad. Sometimes, good people to bad things, and vice verse. A woman saves a girl from a rapist, but kills the attacker in the process. Was the killing justified?"

Mello, as the oldest and the more arrogant of the two, puffed up his chest. "Of course it was justified!" he exclaimed, "The girl was being brutally attacked. The woman was doing her, and the rest of society, a favor by killing him."

L nodded. "That's dangerous thinking, Mello. He didn't have to die. Prison would have been just fine."

Mello paled.

"I-- I just, I mean--"

"Near?" L cut him off.

Near looked at the ground, his fingers curling hair until his scalp hurt. "Yes, but the woman shouldn't go unpunished. She did something good. She saved someone. But she took a life, and that shouldn't be awarded."

"Self-defense," L said, his eyes boring into Nears, "She would claim self-defense."

Suddenly, Near's throat felt unbelievable dry. He met L's gaze because he had to, not because he wanted to. "B-but," he started, his voice catching, "she wasn't the one being attacked." Something flickered across L's eyes, something Near couldn't identify. A smile ghosted across his lips.

"How about a treat?" He asked.

And that's how the three ended up at a cake shop.

Mello immediately knew what he wanted, going straight for a heart attack disguised as chocolate cake. Near was at a loss. There were so many options, so many smells, and he was overwhelmed. L caught on to his dilemma.

"What would you like?" He asked the albino.

"I don't know," Near said, shaking his head.

Mello smirked. "Near doesn't eat sweets."

L's eyes flickered over to Mello, then back to Near. "Mind if I order for you, then?" Near shook his head, white curls falling into his eyes.

"A slice of triple chocolate and two slices of strawberry, please." The pretty blonde behind the counter busied herself with getting the slices while L searched in his pocket for some money. He paid her, and the three boys took their cake to a table facing the street. Near took his fork in his hand and held it poised above the sugary mass of strawberry flavor. L was devouring his slice, sitting in the most peculiar manner, savoring each bite as he scraped it off his fork. Near didn't touch his, just looked at it. L noticed this.

Near watched through his mess of light colored curls as a fork shaved off a the tip of his slice. He looked up to see L holding a fork with the missing piece on it.

"Do you want it?"

Near opened his mouth to respond, and instead found a fork shoved between his teeth. His eyes widened, his jaw clenching involuntarily, and L withdrew the fork, leaving the bite of cake on the boy's tongue.

"_Mm, it's good._" Near thought, chewing slowly. And then he realized. He was holding his fork. And the fork L was holding still had whipped cream on it. And L is sure to lick all the whipped cream off of each bite. Which mean--

"_L just fed me with his fork._"

Near blushed deeply, bowing his head to try to hide it with his unruly silver locks. L cocked his head when he saw near blush and smiled to himself. Mello, however, started to rant about how Near could very well feed himself.

As they rode home, Near thought about the fork incident. Was it such a big deal? Of course not. So why was his heart beating so fast?

When they got out of the car, L thanked them for meeting him. Mello spewed nonsense about how great it was to meet him and that it was entirely their pleasure and will he come back to them soon? L smiled, nodded, said, "Hopefully," and patted Mello on the head before the small blonde ran off to tell Matt everything. Near looked up at L, the two of them alone now.

"It was a pleasure meeting you," L said, peering down at the boy. Near nodded, suddenly not wanting L to leave. There was a pause, and then L bent down and gave Near a loose hug. Near hugged back, a second too late, and kept his arms around him for a moment too long. L broke the hug, said a goodbye, and climbed back into the car, leaving Near to wonder about this strange feeling in his stomach and his curiously frantic beating heart.

After all, he had never had a crush before.

- - -

]**AN:**

**WHAT. WHAT.**

**Expect things to be more or less the same, with some (hopeful) improvement with my style and some plot changes.**

**Happiness.**


	18. Chapter 18

Near woke up early on the morning of his twelfth birthday. He didn't know what had woken him, so he decided that the best option was to go back to sleep- he had been fretting over his knew miniature model set, and had been up until all hours of the morning assembling and painting a tiny city, and he really needed the rest. He was going back to sleep, that is, until he felt the bed shift. He was instantly more than awake, eyes flying open and straining in the dark room.

"Who's there-" He started, until a hand covered his mouth.

"Shhh," a voice soothed. Near turned his eyes on the stranger on his bed, and was relieved to see L bending over him, if not a little confused.

"Happy birthday, Nate." L whispered.

Near's eyes widened. "You're not supposed to call me that!" he gasped. L smiled.

"But it's so much more endearing to be called by one's birth name on one's birthday, wouldn't you think? Besides, no one heard, so you're safe." He took a seat on the edge of the bed, his thumb finding it's way to his lips. Near didn't know how to respond, so he said the first thing that came to mind.

"You didn't visit on Mello's birthday."

"I was busy," L offered plainly.

"But why come on mine?"

"I wasn't busy."

Near was about to dispute the logic in that when L pulled a beautifully wrapped gift from behind his back. "I brought you a gift." L held it out in front of him. Near looked at it. L looked at Near. "I do believe it's rude to not accept a gift, Near." Near quickly took it.

"Unwrap it," L encouraged. And Near did, albeit hesitantly. As he peeled away the shiny wrapping paper, he worked hard to read the words in the dim light. "Ten thousand piece... puzzle- _ten thousand piece puzzle_." He looked up at L. "This is the biggest puzzle I've ever had."

"I know," L said, gnawing on his thumb, "but I'm sure you can figure it out. Take a picture of the finished project for me." L sat for a second longer, then reached out and tried to brush down a cow-lick the little boy had developed during the night. Near bowed his head slightly, feeling another blush creep across his cheeks. L gave up on taming the boy's unruly hair, and climbed off the bed. "I'm afraid I have to go," he said, "Watari is waiting for me in the driveway. Until we meet again, Near." Silently, he left the room.

"Goodbye," Near whispered, not looking up. The puzzle would be done by the end of the week.

By the time the other kids at Whammy's had awoken, Near was already in a spacious play room, the puzzle scattered around the floor. He had been able to piece together a decent portion of the night sky when his classmates found him.

"Goodness!" He heard someone exclaim, "Do you see that box? Ten thousand pieces! And most of them are black. This is the hardest puzzle I've ever seen Near try."

"Yeah," a child replied, "I bet a pudding cup that he can't finish it."

"Oh, you're on!" The first kid replied. Near tuned them both out. He continued to work until an annoyed caretaker forced him to go to class, but he was back at lunch time, pushing the little pieces together, one by one.

Mello sat at a table with his closest friends at Whammy, immersed in conversation. He was talking to Jean-luc when he heard someone say, "I've heard that L personally brought Near that puzzle."

"What? No way. When would he have done that?"

"Sometime this morning. They say that they had to let him in, and take him to Near's room."

Mello paused mid-sentence. Could these rumors be true? Regardless, he could already feel the sharp stab of anger growing in his stomach. The expensive foreign chocolate Mello had flaunted suddenly seemed like nothing. L could have bought him a chocolate factory, but it wouldn't matter; he had physically come and wish Near a happy birthday. The hurt festered. Before he knew it, Mello was running through the halls. He knew where Near would be, and he would make him pay. He was fuming when he entered the playroom, but much to his disappointment, the white haired boy was not in there. There was only his puzzle, much of it already together, and a dirty plate. The anger bubbled and overflowed, and in a fit Mello started kicking apart the puzzle. Pieces broke, others flew across the room, bent, peeled. He grabbed handfuls and crushed them against his palm before throwing them against a wall. Within minutes, a woman barged in and grabbed him by the elbow, jerking him into realization.

"Mello!" She yelled, astonished, "Why would you do this?"

"L came to see Near on his birthday!" Mello spat, "But he didn't see me! I wasn't important enough!"

"Mello, you know that's not true-" The woman started, but Mello twisted out of her grip before she could stop him, and raced down the hallway, away from her and the carnage he left. She sighed, shaking her head at his emotional outburst, and then turned to see what she could salvage.

Instead, she found Near standing in the doorway behind her. With one hand on the door frame, and the other at his side, he stood there, completely emotionless.

"Oh, Near," cooed, "Don't-"

"No bother," Near said, "it's ruined." His subtle expression said everything he hadn't. He padded away, as discreetly as he came. She watched him go, and, even though it was useless, she ordered that no one touch the wreckage.

In the dead of the night, Near escaped from his room and walked silently to the playroom where the remnants of his puzzle lay, scattered and broken, all over the ground. He dropped to his hands and knees and gathered all of the pieces, piling them in the middle of the room, and even though he knew that it was impossible, he started putting the puzzle back together again. As he worked, he felt tears well up in his eyes. Normally he would blink them away, wipe his eyes with his hand, and pretend like this emotion in his heart wasn't actually there, but that night, all alone, he let them fall. He cried silently, trembling slightly and sniffing every so often. Roger watched the boy work futilely in the dark, but they both knew that, no matter how hard Near worked, the puzzle would never be complete, a piece forever missing.

Next week, a letter came from L. Roger was finding his letter opener when he noticed a small "M" and "N" in the corner, L's not-so-subtle alert that it was for Mello and Near. Roger set the letter aside and attended to the rest of the Whammy house mail before going to find the two boys.

He came upon Near first; he found him where he left him that night, asleep on the floor of the play room, his head nestled into the crook of his arm. His pajama clad body looked so young and fragile, and Roger felt his heart ache. He crouched beside the boy and nudged him into wakefulness.

"Near, you have a letter from L."

"Nngh, what about the letter L?" The boy asked, rubbing his eyes.

"No, no, a letter _from_ L."

"Mmm, oh." Near replied. Roger chuckled. Near had never been a morning person. He handed the letter to Near, who looked at it with a mildly confused expression. "Give it to Mello after you've read it." He said, and left. Near started to messily rip the envelope open.

Unfortunately, the letter was rather boring. L reprimanded Mello on his behavior, and advised that he learn to control his anger. He said he'd visit soon, as he felt he needed to form a relationship with his possible successors. Near noted his use of "possible," as if neither of them were good enough. When he finished the letter, he considered keeping it to himself, as pay back, but Mello would be beyond furious if he found out he was hiding the letter from him. With a sigh, Near rose to his feet and started for the front door.

He pushed into the bright world outside and made his way to the soccer field, dirtying his white socks in the grass. He gingerly stepped over rocks, frowning as they cut into his feet. When Mello laid eyes on the petite boy, he stormed over, angry at just seeing him.

"What the hell do you want?" He demanded. Near handed him the letter. "It's already opened!" Mello yelled, balling his hand into a fist, "What, just because L visited you, you think you get first dibs? As if!"

"Roger gave it to me first. Probably because you're supposed to be being punished." He narrowed his eyes, partly to emphasize his mood, partly to block out the blinding sun.

Mello said nothing, just turned and pulled the neatly folded letter out of the envelope. Without waiting a moment longer, Near went back to the building, looking forward to a clean pair of socks.


	19. Chapter 19

"What in the world are you two doing?!"

Emotionless, Near half-crawled, was half shoved off of Mello, who had turned a deep shade of red from anger and embarrassment.

"Fighting!" Mello yelled.

"I think you need to come with me," Roger said carefully, gesturing for them to follow him. Reluctantly, the boys got to their feet and were lead into a Roger's office, where he proceeded to tell them about the "birds and the bees."

"We are _not_ having this conversation!" Mello bellowed, covering his ears. Near hunched his shoulders slightly and stared at the the ugly carpet.

"Mello, you're eleven now, and I'm sure you're going to start noticing some changes in your body, if you haven't... already." Roger's eyes darted to Near.

Mello was furious at the subtle accusation. "Oh, _hell_ no. I do not have the hots for Near!" He yelled.

"Nor do I have the hots for Mello." Near said quietly, confused when an image of L flashed momentarily through his mind.

Roger looked relieved, but soon wiped the look from his face, adopting a more stern one. He cleared his throat. "Regardless of who you like or may come to like, we need to have this talk."

And this Near learned that it was "okay to like boys," but that he should, "wait until he was a little older" to act on these feelings.

A few days after this, L showed up unannounced at the orphanage. He skulked in Mello's doorway, calling the young boy's attention to him with a soft greeting.

"Hello,"

"L-- erm, Ryuuzaki!" Mello gasped, jumping to give L a quick embrace. "What are you going here?"

L gave a shrug, wrapping his arms around Mello briefly before pulling away. "I was in the area, and I know that we have a few things to discuss. Mello, your behavior is inexcusable."

Mello cringed. How like L, so concise and to the point. "I know." He mumbled, hardly audible.

"Why are you so unruly?" Mello cringed again, and told himself that L is just blunt, that he's not trying to hurt the younger boy's feelings.

"I don't.. know." He looked up at L to find him nibbling on his thumb.

"Could it have anything to do with your parents?" L questioned. Mello stiffened, and L gave a slight nod of understanding. "Most of the other children here have lost their parents in a similar manner, and they are not taking their harsh feelings out on others. There is a very talented counselor here and Whammy's, and I advice that you see him sometimes."

Mello was angry, hurt, speechless. He nodded. L set his hand on the boy's blonde head and then turned to leave.

"What-- Where are you going?" Mello asked, alarmed. He didn't want his visit to be just a lecture on good behavior. He's missed L and wanted to spend more time with him.

"I'm going to say hello to Near and then leave. I have work I must do."

"Well, maybe you can stay just a little bit longer and try something fun?" L placed his thumb to his lips.

"Fun? What have you got in mind?"

Mello smirked.

- - -

Near was wondering the halls, intricate paper plane in hand, making little engine noises as he flew it. He walked by Mello's door and was mildly surprised to find the door ajar; Mello cherished his privacy and almost had the door shut completely. The sounds of a game floated out of the room and Near resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course Matt and Mello were in there beating each other up in a fighting game. Near continued his treacherous voyage when he overheard something strange.

"You're not very good at this, are you?" The voice was unmistakably Mello's, but the words confused him. Matt spent almost his entire free time playing video games; it was the thing he was best at.

"I apologize that I haven't spent my days mashing buttons.

Matt _had _spent his days mashing buttons, and besides, that voice was much deeper than Matt's. And familiar. But whose could it be?

"Don't apologize Ryuuzaki-_kun_, just get better."

"Don't make fun of my possible heritage."

In disbelief, Near retraced his steps and peered into the room. Sure enough, as the voices suggested, there was L and Mello, sitting side-by-side, an overly violent video game flashing across the screen. Near blinked quickly, gave his head a small shake, and looked again. He had some pretty strange dreams, but this was pure nonsense. L wouldn't partake in such a mindless, immature activity.

L smiled sweetly at the blonde as his character sent Mello's flying across the screen with a well timed kick, fiery letters blazing across the screen, an announced saying, "K.O." Mello scoffed.

"You only won 'cause I went easy on ya'."

"You just can't admit that I beat you fairly."

"Oh, right. As if that could have ever happened."

And then, against all odds, L stuck his tongue out at Mello, who sniggered.

Near was transfixed. "_This is ridiculous._" He thought. He looked down at his paper plane, which had taken three hours, and realized he'd be upset if he'd only made it in a dream. And then he pinched his arm. Hard. Much harder than he'd anticipated.

"Ah!" he yelped. He was awake. And he felt two sets of eyes on him.

"Oh, hello Near," L greeted him, "care to join us?"

Mello rolled his eyes. "If he joined us, we'd have to play a racing game."

"I.." Near started, unable to finish his thought.

L pouted. "Aw, right when I was getting good at Tekken, too."

"_Is this really happening_?" Near thought, feeling awkward and out of place.

"Get in here, we won't wait forever." Mello barked. A moment longer, and Near trotted into the room, letting his plane drop to the floor. L picked it up and started to examining it while Mello switched the games. Slowly, Near sank to the floor, beside L, his knee to his chest. Mello passed him a controller, and near gripped it faintly, looking down at all the buttons.

Near chose his character last. It was some futuristic motorcycle game, and all he had to choose from her girls in tight clothing, which made him a little uncomfortable. But, sooner then he wanted, he was at the starting line. Mello took instant first, followed by L, and finally Near at the the very end. A little dazed, Near pressed the X button hard. This was his first time playing a video game. He soon caught up with Mello and L-- this may have been his first time, but he seemed to have a natural talent.

His concentration was shattered, however, when L got to into a turn, and pressed his body against Near's. The breath caught in his throat when he felt the older man against him, and either L didn't notice or didn't mind, as his eyes stayed on the TV, and his body stayed against Near's.

"Come on, Near." L said, his voice lacking emotion. "If we shoot Mello down, one of us can still get first place.

"Hey!" Mello yelled, his eyes not leaving the screen. The finish line was looming ahead and Near could hear the fake cheer of the games crowd, complete with camera flashes. Suddenly, L swerved his motorcycle into Mello's exploding his and causing Mello so slow considerably.

"Come on," L said, excitement creeping into his voice. Near avoided the wreckage and and flew over the finish line.

"PLAYER THREE-- WINS!" The game said.

Mello stared at the screen, and odd look in his eyes. "You.. beat me."

Near was just as shocked, his body tingling with delight. His mind buzzing from L's warmth.

"_He actually helped me. He helped me win._" And now he was leaving. L was getting to his feet, rolling his almost perpetually hunched shoulders.

"I'm afraid I've stayed here much longer than I'd plan and I must be going."

Mello leapt into a hug. "See-ya, Ryuu-kun!" He laughed, making another jab at L's peculiar nickname. L released Mello and reached for Near, who was still getting up from the floor. He walked into L's hug and breathed him in. He smelled of fresh laundry and sugar and a unique scent he couldn't place, a scent that was just L. One of the greatest things he'd ever smelled. He loved the way L's thin arms felt around him.

L ended the hug and left with a quiet farewell. Near stood silent for a moment, but before you could leave, Mello spoke.

"What is L to you? Who.. is he in your life?" Near felt the blood prickle under his skin.

"What?" He asked.

"He's kind of like me... Dad. You know? He's kind of like that father that I... didn't get to have.."

Near swallowed. "Yes. A father." And he left. He walked into his room and snuggled in under the sheets. "_What is L to me? Why do I feel... this way around him? I've never felt like this before._" He was confused, alarmed. L wasn't a father to him. But what?

He closed his eyes, deciding to save it for the morning.


	20. Chapter 20

Near let out a small gasp as his body hit the bed. It was almost violent, and a tremor of fear rippled through him. But the fear vanished at he felt thin hips straddle his, pinning the small boy to the mattress. He was fevered, his loose clothes sticking to his skin uncomfortably. He wanted to take them off. The person above him seemed to think the same thing, and Near felt fingers deftly undoing his shirt, the buttons popping open one by one. They'd pulled at his shirt, leaning down to kiss him. Passionately. Near moaned into the kiss, delighting in the sensations that rolled through his body. Near was confused, but that certainly didn't stop him from responding to the kisses and heavy touches. He wrapped his frail arms around the persons back and clawed at the fabric there. He could tell by the flatness of their chest and the broadness of their back that whoever he was kissing so sweetly was a man.

Coming to that realization, Near wondered just _who_ was kissing him. They were much too big to be another kid. Whoever this was, their body engulfed him, made him too hot to function. They broke away for a second, and Near forced his lust clouded eyes to focus.

Oh, _God_.

"Nate.." The man whispered, and Near felt his breath dance across his cheeks.

"L..." Near breathed back, his already erratic heart jumping and tumbling at that single lettered name. A shiver ran down his spine. "But- it's.. I-"

"Shhh," L hummed, "I know. Just do what feels right." A smile played on his pale, kiss swollen lips, and Near craved to taste that smile.

L bent to kiss him again, and this time his spidery hands descended upon Nears body, fondling in all the right places. Near yelped, his back arching, and finally shuddered a groan against L's parted lips.

"_What feels right..._"

Near's eyes eased open, and he blinked in the bright, morning light. His heart thundered in his chest, and he took a steadying breath. He could breathe much easier now than he could moments before, with the adult weight absent from his sweat-drenched body.

"_God, it was only a dream._"

"You talk in your sleep."

Fear flitted in Near's gut as his eyes snapped to the foot of his bed and focused on a certain chocolate eating blonde. He swallowed back his momentary panic and glared at Mello. "Oh, I do? What did I say?"

Mello smirked. "Hmmm, you didn't say so much. Not with words at least." He snapped off a piece of chocolate and kept his eyes narrowed on Near. "Based off the way you look, and those lovely little sounds you made, I'd have to say that was a damn wet dream."

Near's face was blank, giving away nothing. "You're mistaken. It was a nightmare. I suffer from them."

Mello's smirk became even cockier. "Was it now?" He asked pleasantly. Near nodded. "Oh, then how would you explain this?" Mello put his head back, his eyes closing. He stuttered into a hesitant moan, whimpering softly. He made a soft groaning sound from the back of his throat, knitting his eyebrows together and biting his lip. With another whimper, he opened his eyes and looked back at Near, a grin pulling on his lips. His eyes were bright with amusement.

Near fought down his blush, managing to look at Mello like he was an idiot. "If you _must_ know," he said coldly, eyes like stone, "it was a _sexual_ dream, but certainly not a _consensual_ one."

Mello's eyes widened. "Oh, er-"

"Why are you here? I can't entertain the idea that you've come here on your own free will."

"Aw, you got me," Mello said, running his tongue up his chocolate bar, "Roger wants to talk to you."

Near got out of bed and padded out his room and toward the bathroom. Mello followed him in and leaned up against the wall, looking away as Near washed his face.

"So, your dream. What was it, ra-"

"Those memories aren't up for discussion." Near said, watching Mello's reflection. His jaw dropped, and he took a step forward.

"Wait, memories?" Mello exclaimed. "Memories of- the dream? Or were you really-"

"Funny," Near interrupted, "three seconds later, and I still don't want to talk about it." he dried his face delicately and then exited the bathroom. Mello stumbled out after him, following the boy for a ways before giving up and leaving the albino be. He came to Roger's office, and knocked his small fist painfully against the thick wood. The door opened soon after, and Roger was standing to the side of it, an excited smile on his face. Near slinked in and took a seat on the overly plump chair in front of his desk, one leg up, his fingers entwining themselves in his hair. "Yes, Roger?" He asked as the older man sat down.

Roger laced his fingers together and gave Near a serious look. "I felt that you should know that the man who murdered your parents has been apprehended."

Near couldn't help the look of shock and happiness that spread across his features. "He.. was? By whom?"

"L, of course." Roger started, "He confessed last night, not just to that of your parents murders, but to many others."

Near swallowed thickly, memories he didn't want threatening to intrude. "Who was he?"

"Lind L. Tailor."

Near nodded slowly. "And L caught him? That's.. wonderful." he grinned widely in a rare display of emotion.

Caught of guard by the boy's reaction, Roger smiled back warmly. "L is just as amazing as ever. Now, run along and go get some breakfast. I just thought that this was much too important to wait."

Near thanked him and jumped to his feet, nearly running to the cafeteria. The man who had ruined his life was over. He was done. His life was going to be as miserable as Near's had, with any hope. This delighted him. Once in the dining room, he let himself calm down. He wanted to tell anyone what had happened, just to share in the excitement, but no one knew about Near's past. He didn't know anyone well enough to tell them, he didn't want them to know that part of him. Instead, he grabbed a bagel and an orange and found a quiet table, where he could think. He let Lind L. Tailor slip into the back of his mind, saving the sheer happiness for later, and instead decided to think about his dream.

Peeling his banana meticulously, he tried hard to make his face look blank. Most dreams don't mean a thing- images you say during the day replayed in your sleep- but this was something else. If he was to take this dream seriously, that would mean that he-

"Hey, Near!"

Near's pale eyes rose from his perfectly shaped banana peels and focused on Matt, who slapped his tray down in front of Near. "What's got you so elated, huh? I watched you practically dance down that hallway."

Near didn't advert his gaze. "I'm not in a position to tell you." He said after a slight pause.

"Aw, come on. Tell me!"

Near glared at the red haired boy. "Wouldn't you rather be talking to Mello?"

Matt swallowed a sloppy spoonful of cereal. "Haven't been able to find him this morning."

Near looked with disgust at the trickle of milk from the corner of Matt's mouth. "How about a violent video game?"

Matt pointed at his pocket. "Gameboy died and I haven't had the chance to steal some new ones." Matt smiled and leaned closer to Near, his arms crossed on the table. "So, Smart Boy, entertain me."

Near took a tiny bite of his banana. "I'm not a dog," was all he said.

"All you have to do is tell me why you're so happy this morning. You're showing so much emotion, lately. Don't you think that's unlike you?"

Near sighed. He closed his eyes, trying to think of the best course of action. He knew Matt well enough to know that the boy is relentless. He decided he may as well tell him.

"My life was ruined by a single man, and last night that man was brought to justice. That's all you need to know."

"Well, if he hadn't killed your parents," Matt said, blowing on an apple, "you would never have met L, right?" He turned his deep blue eyes on Near, a warm understand in them. A sweet, almost sinister smirk spread across his lips, but Near decided it must be a coincidence. Of course the man had killed his parents, he was at an orphanage. "That's one way of looking at it." Near got up from the table and tossed his leftovers in the trash. He left without another word, and Matt sat and chuckled to himself, taking another savage bite of the apple.


	21. Chapter 21

**98%**, blared the test that Mello clutched, with barely contained frustration, in his hands. And with a quick glance a few desks up, his eyes focused on a bright and infuriating **100%** under the sloppily scrawled, "Near."

"_Of course,_" the blonde scowled as he dug in his bag for a chocolate bar, "_of course the perfect little brat gets a perfect one hundred, and you manage a disappointing ninety eight._" Even worse, Mello had noticed that his lifetime rival was obviously being favored by L. They dared have the audacity to team up against him, to take him down together. And L wasn't the only one to fawn over the albino genius- the entire class had swarmed him, begging to see the legendary perfect score. And Near always acted so shy, so uncomfortable, averting his gaze, stuttering replies. Mello clenched his fists- he would bet money that Near was secretly basking in all this glory, that Near just loved the attention.

He jammed the test into his bag and crossed his arms, letting light blond locks fall into his seething eyes. He tried to ignore Matt as he threw himself in the desk in front of him and snapped off a piece of Mello's chocolate.

"What did'ya get?"

"Ninety-eight percent," Mello snarled, thrusting his hand into his bag in search of another chocolate bar. He rolled his eyes as Matt frowned.

"I only got a seventy-six."

"Don't complain," Mello said gruffly, "you should study more if you want a higher grade."

Matt snorted. "Yeah, 'cause it's doin' you loads of good. You study 'til your eyes bleed, and Near only has to glance at a book to beat your ass."

Mello's fingers twitched into fists, and he itched to take a good swing at his friend, but a deep breath and a vicious bite of chocolate helped calm him. Matt looked at Mello with a tinge of confusion, eying the balled fingers. "What," Matt challenged, "you're not going to hit me?"

"I promised L I'd be... good." The statement crawled up from the back of Mello's throat like a growl, and Matt just smirked.

"How fun," he teased. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any batteries, would'ya?"

* * *

With a sense of suffocation, Near peered out of the crowd of children that had gathered to gawk at the usual 100 that stained the top of his test, and Near hated it. He felt like an actor being mobbed by paparazzi, shocked and amazed at the norm. It wasn't as if he hasn't gotten a hundred or above on every test he'd taken at the orphanage, and while he had gotten used to his capabilities, nobody else had.

"Let me see, let me see!" Kids called and cried, reached and pushing just to glance at the perfect score. Near remained motionless expect for a slight tightening of grasp, his pale, bony fingers crumpling the paper just slightly as he mused throwing the test into the crowd, wondering if they'd go feral, tearing and clawing to get a piece of perfection. He allowed himself a smirk at the thought.

* * *

As night crept in through the window, Near flopped sloppily on his bed and closed his eyes tight. He didn't want to do more than sleep. Sleep through the night fitlessly, into the next day, the next week. Sleep until L picks a successor and this was all over, and he could stop thinking about the quiet man and his quiet feelings for him and the rollercoaster he'd turned his flat-line life into.

As he thought about the genius and way he made his heart beat, he allowed himself to finally, at last, think about the dream that had disturbed him most pleasantly.

He was new to sex, new to emotion. He was just a boy who had never had a crush, an erotic thought, until now. He replayed the scene over and over again, refusing his body any reaction, just dissecting it. But the more he thought, the more irrational his conclusions became, until he just couldn't deny it.

He was in love with L.

He chewed unconsciously on his lower lip, his tired eyes finding distraction in the final rays of the setting sun, and he sighed deeply. Love, if that's what the confused emotions of a twelve year old could be called, was ruining his life. But it made sense, and the only thing that made sense after that was for L to fall in love with him, since that's how it always seemed to happen.

Near knew he should know better, but he didn't want to know better. He twirled his hair thoughtfully, "_How do I get him to like me back?_" The harder he thought, the more vigorously his fingers attacked the light colored curls. He was young, and he knew it'd be years before Near could look at him as more than a child, a son, a kid. And even then, could he ever get over the age gap, the paternal feelings- if there were any?

Near had gotten so into his head, that he paid no mind to the girl as she slinked into his room, a wisp of giggles trailing behind her. "Hi, Near."

Startled, Near inhaled sharply, sending him into a coughing fit that put an ache in his ribs and the taste of copper on his tongue. He swallowed thickly, unnerved by the discomfort in his chest and the young girl in his room. When he was able to speak, he addressed her plainly. "Hello, Lace."

"Do you mind if I hang out?" She asked with confidence.

"I'd prefer you didn't."

"Aww, what if I'm quiet?"

"I very much doubt the plausibility of that."

"Hey!" Lace countered, her voice full of mock anger, "That's mean!"

"I suppose." Near muttered, deciding against mentioning how it was also deserved.

"Well, because of that, I get to stay here!"

"If you make a point of insisting," Near said without a hint of emotion as he crawled to the end of the bed, towards his desk, "but I must study, so please do not expect me to be paying attention to you."

Lace pouted, her lips exaggerated to an almost ugly extent. "Oh, it's not like you even need to study!"

"I truly do, I cannot quite seem to grasp Hungarian."

"Whaaat, are you afraid that Mello is going to get ahead of youuuu?" She teased.

"Precisely," Near climbed into his seat, one knee close to his ear, and pulled hi Hungarian book closer to him. But, if he had been paying attention to Lace, he'd have noticed the fire his comment sparked in the muddy depths of her brown eyes.

"That's your problem, Near!"

He trailed his eyes from past tense conjugation and to the genuine anger on her small and freckled face. "Pardon?"

"You think you're better than every one else!" She spat, tears gathering haphazardly at the corners of her eyes.

"I do not think-"

"You do! You do," she wailed, "you think you're so much better than every one else! You think you're so great and mighty but you're- you're not! Here I am, Near, the only girl in this whole place who even wants to talk to you, and you don't even care! You think so I'm stupid, don't you?"

"Lace, I assure you, I do not-"

"You're too into yourself to care about anyone else!" Her volume had raised exponentially now, and Near felt the warmth of embarrassment growing in this gut as he was certain everyone in the orphanage could hear her screaming accusations. "Don't you care about me? About how I feel? Haven't you bothered to take one moment out of all your stupid studying to wonder why I've tried to get you to talk to me so many times?"

Past the point of arguing, Near just blinked. "Why," he started softly, "would you want to talk to me?"

Lace froze, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Seriously?" She gasped, throwing the word at hims viciously. "Because I like you Near! I like you a lot! For a genius, you can be really, really dumb." And with that, she turned and burst from his room, sobbing.

Near watched her leave, trying to keep his demeanor flat while his mind raced, unhinged. "_Okay, an upside to this situation is that I have now learned a definite way to avoid if I want to.. to win his heart._" He lifted his pencil and worked his way back into studying.

Matt, however, watched the wretchedly upset Lace tramp down the hall, blubbering obnoxiously. It was no secret that the girl harbored feelings for the delicate albino. In fact, much to Matt's amusement, Near was of many a girls' juvenile affections, and could be quite popular if he wasn't so entirely anti-social. Matt considered comforting the girl briefly before deciding, instead, to pay Mello a visit.

He sunk onto Mello's bed, humming a tune he'd picked up in the hallway.

"Not _now_, Matt," Mello groaned, "I'm _studying_."

"So is Near." Matt announced, his fingers moving deftly over the buttons of his Gameboy. "Apparently, he just can't get Hungarian?"

"Hungarian?" Mello repeated, turning back to his desk, "interesting."

Matt smirked behind his video game. "You know that makes you sound kind like a sicko perv, right?" His smirk was interrupted by the sharp edge of an expertly thrown CD hitting him perfectly in the forehead. He yelped in surprise and pain. "Oh, ouch! I thought L told you not to pull that shit anymore!" He tried to rub the sting out of the welt, but to no avail.

Mello merely smiled. "Please, like one measly CD throwing star is going to seriously jeopardize anything."

Matt sat up in a hurry, "It could! It totally could!"

"Oh, shut the hell up. I've done worse to you."

* * *

Weeks passed without word from L, until one morning when both Near and Mello were called into Roger's office. Near crouched on the floor, ignoring the obvious sense of superiority Mello felt by standing above him, and they waited for Roger to speak.

"Well, I've received word from Ryuuzaki that he's arranged a surprise for the both of you. He'd like you two to be ready at eight tomorrow morning." A phone began to ring and Roger glanced at it almost curiously. "Now, needlessly to say, you two must wear shoes and be on your best behaviour. Now, off with you, and shut the door on your way out." He dismissed the duo with a wave of his distracted hand as he reached for the received. Mello turned on his heels and marched out of the office, beaming, Near lingering behind, stifling a series of coughs that seared up his sternum with tell-tale taste of pennies.

He and his Transformer crept to his room and crawled into bed, pulling the covers up over their heads and settling down below the pillows. Down in the muffling heat of synthetic fibers and cotton, Near held his Transformer close to his face and confided in the plastic. "I cannot for the surprise tomorrow," he whispered, "but I am so terribly terrified of being around L."

Morning arrived, and Near and Mello sat patiently on the front steps like they'd been told, awaiting L's arrival. They saw the black car roll through the gate, perfectly on time, but didn't stand until it came to a complete stop, L smiling faintly from the rolled down back window. Mello launched himself off the marble steps and towards the car, Near shuffling in a much more reserved manner behind him. They climbed onto the seat, Near pulling the door closed gently behind him, and immediately started back down the driveway.

Near began to fidget almost immediately, his toes squirming around in his brand new shoes.

"Good morning," L said after the boys were situated.

"Mornin'!" Exclaimed Mello enthusiastically.

"Good morning," Near was still distracted by the urge to lift his leg, to free his feet from the plastic and fabric prisons they'd been tied into.

"Is something wrong, Near?" L questioned, cocking his head to observe the abnormally spacey behaviour of the child.

"I..." Near started, unsure of what to say. "I don't usually wear shoes or.. sit like this. I find it very discomforting."

"By all means, Near, please make yourself comfortable. I wouldn't want to force either of you to do something you don't want to." A smile flitted across his lips as Near eagerly pulled his shoes off and brought his knee to rest besides his shoulder. "Now, to the reason you two are here this morning. I have a test for you. I'm sure this wasn't the kind of surprise you were hoping for, but I'm certain you'll enjoy it immensely regardless." L began to slowly and deliberately unwrap a lollipop, leaving the two suspended in anticipation. He popped the pop into this mouth and continued to speak around it. "Now, I solved a case the other day, and I'm taking you two to a hotel where I've arranged all of the date I've collected. Think of it as a contest... whoever solves the case first, wins."

Mello's amber eyes lit up, fiery excitement coursing through his veins at the mention of "contest," especially against Near. "What's the prize?"

"Now that," said L quietly, "is a secret." Mello whined and crossed his arms in mild disappointment. "Tell me, has anything interesting happened in my absence?"

"Well," Mello pondered, "some kid mistook me as a girl and I _didn't_ punch him in the throat."

"Oh?" Asked L in a small and airy chuckle. "That's good. The non-violent part, I mean. I'm not sure how anyone could have mistaken you for a female."

"I know, right? I mean, I know my hair is a little longer that most boys, but that doesn't mean I look like a little girl! Completely stupid."

"How about you, Near?" L said, diverting his attention to Near, who'd been watching the scene pass by the window. "Anything interesting happen to you?"

"Mm," Near's eyes widened just barely at the first thought that came to mind, "_Actually, I've recently concluded that I've fallen in love with you and am quite interested in learning the best way to pursue you."_

Realized he'd been quiet for just a few moments too long, Near said, "Nothing, really. No. Not a thing."

"That's a lie," Mello sneered, "Near made a poor, innocent girl cry."

L's eyebrows raised. "You did?"

"No- I-"

Mello cut in. "He totally did. Made her bawl like a baby. It was a saddening sight, one that hurt the soul."

"Near," L said, his voice low with concern, "how could you?"

"I didn't mean to!" Near's voice rose uncharacteristically, and he fought to control his emotions. "She just- she came into my room, and tried to talk to me, and then just ran out. I don't even know what I did."

Mello leaned closer to L, his eyes gleaming with the malicious mischief that surrounded the sharing of secrets. "She has a huuuuuge crush on him," he whispered hoarsely, "and we all think that Near has huuuuuge crush on her right back."

A smile shone from behind L's onyx eyes. "Ah," he said knowingly.

"What? No!" Near could feel the blush spreading across his cheek. "I don't, I-" and he stopped himself before the incriminating words could escape his tongue: _I like L._

"'I'?" Teased Mello.

"I don't like her." Near stated plainly, slumping back into his seat, trying hard to erase the red from his face.

L nodded. "I believe you: Near does not have feelings for this young suitor. Cased closed." He smiled at the boy.

"_Oh, God. Thank you._"

They arrived at the hotel, filing out of the car and through the glass doors one at a time. The three climbed a few flights of stairs, tension gathering with each step, until L finally stopped them in front of room 389. He swiped his key card, and held the door open for the boys, ushering them in gently.

The room was immaculately organized, stacks of files and papers placed precisely beside two lap top computers. The boys took their seats, pushing the chairs as far from one another as they could. Near met Mello's glare with a blank look, giving away nothing.

"You're going down," Mello snarled just under his breath. Near blinked, angling his hair to fall into face, showing Mello a sheepish smile before turning away.

"Starting with just the evidence the police gathered, it took me a mere thirteen hours to solve the case. With all of the data I collected already available to you, it should not take more than thirteen hours for you two to solve it as well. Your time starts now." The boys both reached for the top most file as L took a seat on the plush couch, commencing the devouring of an ice cream cone.

* * *

Near had reviewed every fact. He scoured the papers, the pictures, the statements of all involved. He had all the pieces of the puzzle, now he just had to see how they fit. He already had an idea, working his way from out to in. He sifted through the murder, placing detail by detail in place, until-

"I've got it."

L looked up from his novel, expressionless. "Well?"

"She did it, the neighbor. Mira Neonavic murdered Lee English."

"Good job, you've done it. You've won."

And the winner looked as sweet as the confection he consumed.

And the winner looked as sinfully satisfied as the devil himself.

And the winner tucked his blonde hair behind an ear and leaned over the table, "I told you that you were fucking going down."

Near couldn't help himself. He gaped at Mello, his pale skin draining paler as shock and confusion set in. He had been just moments- moments- away from speaking.

But Mello had opened his mouth first, and it was Mello's shoulder that L laid his hand upon, and it was Mello that he was offering a slip of paper to. It was Mello who had won.

Near got a glimpse of the paper, proclaiming that Mello's prize was 12 hours of L's undivided attention, amidst a half dozen dancing pandas.

"There are exceptions," L continued, having not heard the statement Mello growled as he made his way over, "if I'm in the middle of a case, you can't expect me to drop everything and make my way over here. Don't expect me to be able to arrive immediately, especially if I'm in another part of the world. However, when I do get here, your twelve hours will start the moment we greet one another. My visit will be no shorter than twelve hours, unless you ask me to leave or something of utmost importance comes up. In that case, you're time will be suspended, and we'll be able to complete our time together. Any questions?"

Mello blinked down at the coupon. "What's with the pandas?"

An almost embarrassed look spread across L's features. "I was bored on the plane ride over here," he said matter-of-factly.

A sweet smile brightened Mello's face. "I think they're cute."

And L smiled back, "Me too."

Near felt distressed. Mello and L were having a moment. They were bonding. Mello had proved himself a worthy opponent by beating him at something that was so much more important than a math test. L could see, now, that Mello would make a fine detective.

Near couldn't comprehend how he could finally lose to Mello at a time like this, and he almost hated himself for it. Walking back to the car, Near was almost oblivious to the happenings around him, lost in a fog a shaming and blaming. He didn't want to blame himself, but he had to.

If L picked up in the boy's dilemma, he didn't hint at it. He dropped them off, hugged them both briefly, and then was gone, just like that. Near started for the front steps, meaning to go to his room and bury himself in his bed and maybe cry, maybe sleep, maybe try desperately to forget about everything, but Mello grabbed him by the shirt and stopped him where he stood. Near turned to look at Mello, letting anger set lightly on his face, but Mello didn't bother to look at him.

"How.. funny." Mello said, as if thinking deeply, "I finally beat you, Near, and it's like... it's like all those times you made me feel like shit, all the times I got second place and I hated you for it, all those times I lost to you and now, finally, I beat you and it... it's like all those tests you aced rolled into one. So, you can keep being the school genius, tippy top of the class, one hundred and ten per cent all the time. And I'll keep impressing L with what's really important. Tell me, who's the better one, now?" And with that, Mello turned and met Near's eyes, a painfully proud grinned gracing his lips, and he walked inside.

Near, now entirely too upset to go back into the school. He couldn't. He could face the kids that would know- too soon- that he lost his place. He was ashamed, and instead made his way to the swing set, choosing the chill of night to the pain the building would bring.

He closed his eyes and pushed off from the ground gently, his toes grazing the dirt as his ankles flexed, propelling his body into a slow swing. He kept pushing, soon pumping his legs until the chains were no longer swaying slowly, but swinging ferociously. The cold wind of the night lashed at his hair and chilled his face. It easily went though his thin pajama's and sent goose bumps to raise across nearly every inch of his pale, angelic skin.

He'd never felt more alone in his whole life.

* * *

**Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there. Hi. Uhm. Here's something: I've decided, after reworking out my timeline and Death Note's cannon timeline, that Near, right now, is twelve. Making Mello thirteen/fourteen. And L, instead of being his "true" twenty four, is going to remain a solid twenty. Nineteen at the moment, until October when he turns twenty and all that. So that way, Near will be fourteen and L will be twenty two when this thing called the end happens, and I think that'll be good.  
**

**Also, I got this rewritten chapter for you and a lot of free time and some passion and so hopefully, HOPEFULLY, I can finish the mother effer in a good way.**

**- Hybrid  
**


End file.
